At The Crossroads
by Agrestic
Summary: While traveling through the forests of Enchancia, Amber finds herself going toe to toe with less than desirable company.
1. Chapter 1

Princess Hildegard was already seated within the coach, sitting with her back straight on the edge of the seat, her face tilted up so that when the door opened she could turn her gaze towards me and give me that little half smile of hers. I gritted my teeth behind my smile and allowed the coachman to assist me up.

"Hildegard," I said with my own reserved smile as I sat across from her.

"Amber," She replied, nodding her head, one of her inky black ringlets sliding over her shoulder, "Will Sofia be riding with us?"

What a loaded question. I took a deep breath, not missing a beat, and waved my hand nonchalantly.

"She's riding with James. You know Sofia." I shrugged, pretending like it didn't matter. Hildegard had already known what I was going to say, and wasn't the least bit surprised, despite whatever tripe she'd choose to spit out next. Sofia had come into our lives so long ago and had shaken the very foundation we'd all been raised on. After ten years, very little she did surprised me. None of her choices should have come as a shock to anyone at this point. But Hildegard still made little comments from time to time, and I found myself tired of defending her with each one.

"Oh, what a shame." She said casually, and we both turned our attention to Princess Clio as she clambered up less elegantly than Hildegard and I had. I snapped my fan open and held it up against my chin, peeved with her already. She'd lingered outside waiting for James, on the off chance that she could catch his attention, even for a moment. It must have worked because she was beaming and forcing her hands into her lap as we took in her glow.

"Are we ready?" Hildegard asked, more delicately than she'd asked about Sofia.

"Yes." Clio said firmly, and I rolled my eyes despite myself.

Turning to look back at the driver, I informed him, "We're ready to go. And take the long route."

"Yes, Princess Amber." He responded with a polite tip of his hat, and he focused his attention on tapping the reigns and moving us along the cobblestone path and away from the castle.

"The long route?" Clio said, straining to look outside the carriage towards the one the Princes, and Sofia, were in. It was already taking off into the sky, and her disappointment was apparent. "Won't that make us late?"

"Whoever heard of a 'fashionably on time Princess', Clio?" Hildegard smirked.

I had a feeling in my gut that Hildegard already knew my reasons. That I wanted to put as much distance between Clio and my brother as possible. I had no interest in being so involved in her courtship with a Prince. She could have whomever she wanted in all the one hundred and thirty eight kingdoms; except for James.

"I suppose you're right." Clio resigned, pouting despite the small effort she made not to. I was pleased to see how small we'd made her feel, and I wanted to warn her that having me as a sister in law wouldn't be much better. But I maintained my exterior, even offering her a creased brow that implied pity.

Our conversation turned to other things as we rolled through Dunwitty and out into the forest. I was thrilled for once to travel through the village without Sofia hanging over the edge of the carriage and waving at all the people. People she still took the time to stay friendly and intimate with. I always thought I was approachable and worthy of reverence, but had never managed to make that connection with the peasants. But Sofia had been born as one of them, and had yet to learn that separating herself from them at some point would be a necessity.

I adjusted my pink skirt and sat back, enjoying the shade provided by the towering oak trees that lined the road. Daddy had worked hard on making the passages through the forest as nice as possible, and I preened knowing that the sights were simple and lovely enough for even Hildegard to enjoy.

"Enchancia must be a nice reprieve from all that snow." I said, fanning myself slowly as Hildegard shifted her gaze from the trees. She had to cool her features and shrug.

"As nice as a forest can be, I suppose."

"There are trees in Freezenburg." Clio offered, but I waved her off.

"Yes, but not like ours."

I brushed a hand across my shoulder, pushing my blonde hair back as I sat up, "But Freezenburg must be wonderful during the winter months. All the festivities and Wassailia in the snow."

Hildegard sat up proudly, "Yes. Snow during Wassailia is wonderful. You've had several holidays in a row without it, haven't you Amber?"

I laughed at her silly comment.

"Of course not. Cedric the Sensational can summon snow in a heart beat." I smiled, rarely using our Royal Sorcerer as something to brag about, "We can have snow at dinner if you'd like to see."

As Hildegard opened her mouth to respond, and Clio turned uneasily from me to her, the coach came to a jolting stop. Clio and Hildegard both threw their hands out to catch themselves, and I uttered an unladylike groan as I rocked forward. Standing from my bench, I turned to face the driver.

"Why have we stopped?" I demanded, embarrassed from his poor service while the other two women were with me.

"Princess Amber, please stay down." He said, and he was reaching quickly for the sword at his hip. I screamed as an arrow grazed the top of his knuckles and embedded itself in the carriage. The driver drew back his hand and I finally noticed the two men standing in the center of the road. Both of them were dressed in brown pants, thick boots, and long mossy green tunics that were covered in patches and dirt. They had hoods pulled up, and black masks made from rough cloth over their eyes.

The one on the left held a bow in the air, another arrow already nocked, the string pulled back.

"What's happening?" Hildegard bellowed, and I turned in time to see more crudely dressed men approaching the carriage from the sides.

"What is the meaning of this?" I asked, drawing myself up to my full height, despite the voice inside of my head that screamed at me to sit down.

"Ladies." Drawled the closest one, and I noticed how white his smile was against the dark tone of his skin, "Kindly hand over any gold or jewels you may have, then we'll happily get you back on the road."

The driver shifted in his seat and another arrow flew, this one actually cutting across my hair before disappearing into the trees. My gasp was loud, and the man who had spoken sent a cruel look to the archer. I looked down and away to watch several strands of my hair drift to the floor of the carriage.

"Stay your hand!" He barked, and when he turned back to me his mouth was curled down into an apologetic frown, "My apologies, Princess. Are you alright?"

"How dare you?" I said, stepping forward to arch my body aggressively over him. "Do you realize what you've done? My hair- MY HAIR!" I said, holding up the unevenly sliced handful for him to inspect.

"It's most unfortunate." He responded, looking guilty but amused.

"Amber, please-" I heard Clio say, and I held my hand up to silence her without looking at her.

"You and your band of..." I looked around, sneering at the dirty thieves, "Hooligans, should run while you can. Robbing and assaulting a Princess of Enchancia is punishable by death. When my father hears of this-"

I was interrupted by laughter. Loud, boisterous, male laughter that made me blush and feel two inches tall.

"Princess, with all due respect, we aren't here to negotiate." The leader said, chuckling. He boldly stepped up into the carriage, only inches away from me, causing Hildegard to hurriedly shove Clio along their bench to gain some distance from him. He was taller and broader than he'd looked, and smelled less foul than I had assumed he would. He looked down between us to see if I would step back, and grinned when I didn't budge.

"We're here for your valuables. Please don't be difficult."

I rolled my eyes at his charming smile. I couldn't help but wonder how many women he'd robbed had 'oohed' and 'aahed' about him after he and his band had made off with their necklaces and wedding rings. How many times had he smiled and turned some ancient Duchess, or fat Countess, into a puddle of melted desire? He reached up slowly and held his palm flat as his eyes dropped to the rubies around my throat.

"The necklace, Princess."

His demand was quiet, but firm, and I glared at him for as long as I could before my hands drifted up and to the clasp. I took it off and held it pinched between my fingers in the air. His smile was victorious, but fell as I tossed it carelessly over the side of the carriage. It hit the dirt with a thud, and skidded to rest against the grass.

"Then you can pick it up from the dirt."

For a moment, I recognized the look on his face. Surprise, admiration, embarrassment, anger. There was a collective silence that was broken as he laid his hands on me and forcefully shoved me down and on the bench. I heard my skirt rip, and let out a growl of my own. Raising my foot, I aimed to strike at him before he drew something sharp from his hip and pressed it to my throat.

I turned my chin away, but he followed, maintaining eye contact with me. His anger showed, and in his eyes I could see my own glare was just as powerful.

"Don't make another move. I am going to divest you of your earrings and your tiara. And if you fight me, I'm going to cut your throat. Do you understand?" He hissed, loud enough for his men to hear. Loud enough to let them know that he would cut a woman down before them, even a Princess, without a second thought. When I didn't answer he straightened up but kept his knife in his hand. Moving slowly he gently removed the ruby studs from my ears, his finger tips coarse against my skin. When he reached for my tiara I tensed, wanting to swat his hands away, but remained how I was.

It took one of my hair pins with it, and I winced from the tug but said nothing, seething and frightened at once. My heart was beating so strongly against my chest I thought it would burst free at any moment. I was so incensed I almost lashed out until I saw Clio and Hildegard. They'd both surrendered their jewelry without struggle, both looking so empty without their hair pins and bracelets. I was mad, mad that I was the only one who'd put up a fight. Mad that they'd sat there no better than over stuffed couch cushions while I had at least stood on my own. Mad that he'd taken the tiara from my head.

The thieves took the Drivers cuff links and cravat pin before stepping back, the single archer still holding his weapon up.

"Ladies." The leader said, dropping my rubies into a bag that he hung on his hip as Hildegard and Clio's pieces were bundled up and slipped to someone else, "It was a pleasure. The rest of your journey through the forest should be much safer, now with your donations."

He grinned and his men chuckled with him, slowly backing up and slipping into the trees and out of sight. I found my feet, faster than I'd meant to. The carriage tilted from my weight, and everyone remained silent, as if the danger hadn't really passed. I couldn't describe the feelings that filled me so absolutely. I stared at the space between the trees, wondering, for a moment, what I should do. Was there even anything more to be done?

Probably continue on to the ball, allow daddy to baby me with new jewels and send out guards to raid the forest while the three of us recounted our tale and how scary those men had been.

But that was it. They were just men. There was more that could be done.

I moved so fast all I heard was Hildegard, Clio, and the Driver calling my name as I hit the dirt in my heels and took off into the forest. I could honestly say, in that moment, I was channeling pure Sofia. Dashing off into dangers untold, without a plan, but with determination and fire. But Sofia went to fix things, to right the wrongs. I wanted to go and slap a man across the face and get my tiara back.

How dare he humiliate me in front of them? How dare he touch me and handle me like that? How dare he take my tiara!

The forest was fuller and less manageable than I had thought it would be. I stumbled and grumbled through the underbrush and over roots and bushes that snagged my skirt and bit into my heels. The only way I knew I was on the right track was from the subtle rustle of the plants ahead of me, letting me know that whoever I was following was lagging.

I pushed my way into a thick gathering of plants and broke through into a clearing, filled with sunshine and flowers- and no one. Nothing moved or caught my eye, and I shrieked into my hands, stomping my foot and smashing down the green grass under my heel in anger. I had no idea how I'd lost them, or which way they'd gone, and it made me feel so stupid.

I had run through the forest for nothing! Nothing!

I bent forward and picked up a rock with both of my hands, spinning it and hurling it away in my frustration. It rolled off into the trees, and that's when I heard a chuckle. It was his laughter, mocking me. I pushed sweaty hair away from my forehead then curled my hands into fists as he stepped from behind the tree across from me. He looked so amused. All I wanted was to wipe the smirk off his face.

"You dirty scoundrel!" I cried, and he raised his hands, beckoning to me, encouraging me on.

"You filthy, pathetic, rotten thief!" I screamed, marching forward slowly, "I'll see you hanged for this!"

"That's right, get it out."

"Don't patronize me, criminal." I spat. He shrugged as if there was no other option.

"I'm sure you have hundreds of tiaras."

"And none of them belong with you." I countered, which only made his smile grow.

"I've never seen anyone like you." He said, walking towards me, his charming smile back. He opened his mouth to say more, but I silenced him with a sharp laugh.

"That's because there is _no one_ like me." I said haughtily, flipping my hair over my shoulder, "And you can stop with all the smoldering. You're no Flynn Rider."

My smile was cat-like, and I could have eaten up his displeasured frown.

"I'm not smoldering."

"Not successfully, any way." I countered. He apparently wasn't fond of my comments, because he pulled the bag containing my jewels from his hip and held it up for me to see. I didn't care for anything in that bag besides the tiara.

"Is this what you chased us through the forest for, Princess?"

I crossed my arms and tilted my nose up at him, "Of course, you moron."

He tossed the bag several inches above his palm, catching it casually as he watched it travel up and down. I was close enough now that I misread his gaze and lashed out, making a grab for the bag. His free hand shot out and caught me on the shoulder, shoving me back.

"What about your friend's belongings? Don't you want to negotiate those back?"

My scoff was loud, and I drew my shoulder away from him, not appreciating how casually he'd touched me.

"They can get their own gaudy creations back. I want MY tiara."

Opening the bag he dug it out, holding it in his dark hand and up to the sunlight. It was a small gold tiara, set with little rubies inside of tiny engraved flowers. My heart thumped against my chest, and I raised my hand, knowing that my anger was beginning to subside. It was just making room for something else. Desperation.

"Please give it back." I said, my voice feeling foreign. It must have sounded strange to him as well, because even from behind his mask I could feel him regard me with surprise. Had he been expecting another Princess tantrum? Cursing and foot stomping? Probably. Because that's all he'd seen of me so far.

"Don't you have hundreds?" He asked, trying to steer us back to whatever our banter had been.

"Yes. But none like that one." I answered honestly, my palm still in the air.

He held it in both hands, his thumbs running across the gems and over the sharp edges, "What's so special about this one?"

I felt my lips seal. Would he refuse to give it up if I told the truth? Would he see through my lie of, 'Oh, this old thing?' Would he feel pity and return it? Would he just laugh?

"My mother gave it to me." I finally said, and it did nothing to ease my tension. I still felt ready to burst, wanting to hit him, scratch him, hurt him, and take off back to the safety of my coach to finish our trek through the forest. I was used to being obeyed. Used to people bowing and reminding my constantly how wonderful and beautiful I am. I didn't know how to feel about someone playing with me like some puppy with a stick.

"I bet the great Queen Miranda has given you many tiaras." He said, sounding more comfortable, like he'd come back around to his previous mood. The less deep one that only showed me his overconfidence and mockery.

"It's not from Queen Miranda." I said shortly, and part of me felt some satisfaction with how fast his smile left.

He'd wanted me to say something, but not that. I had wanted to say something, but not that. The words rang in my ears and reminded me of my anger, of my desperation. I closed my eyes and held out my hand, trying not to cry in front of this reckless thief, who had taken more than just a tiara. He'd pushed me down, made me feel weak, and had made off with the one thing in the world that mattered, given to me by someone whose return I would give every ounce of my dignity for.

I didn't get a chance to say anything else before something small and cold touched my palm. When I opened my eyes, I saw the tiara, sparkling and bright, resting in my hand. I curled my fingers around it and looked up, but the thief was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

He had left so quickly I hadn't even gotten a chance to say anything. I didn't owe him a thank you, but that's probably what I would have offered. Now standing with the tiara pressed close to my chest, I felt a weary sigh escape me. I was never one for traipsing off into the woods, and I had had no idea how things would pan out with the bandit. The adrenaline was leaving me, and I primly placed the gold crown back on my head, and lifted my skirts to make my way back to the road.

I trudged through the same underbrush I had ran through only a little time ago. My exchange with the thief had been so fast I was already forgetting those overwhelming feelings that had driven me on. No longer Sofia, now just Amber, I was not pleased with having to hike my way back to the road. I passed a grove of trees that looked familiar and journeyed down a small dip in the land that took me into an even more wooded area. It didn't feel right, so I turned around, my heels skidding along the dirt as I climbed back up and headed for the clearing I'd ended up in. From there I would work my way back and proudly show Hildegard and Clio the fruits of my labor.

I was smiling to myself, imaging their awed expressions and how confident and powerful I would look, when I pushed aside heavy branches to get through the bushes I'd passed through earlier. Only this time, I found myself at another grove of trees.

"Oh no." I whined, stamping my foot in irritation. I turned and looked around, biting my nail in indecision. How in Enchancia had I gotten so turned around?

"Ha!" I declared, pointing randomly, ignoring the tremble of fear in my voice as I spoke to myself, "That's got to be the way."

I headed off again, thinking that at any moment the trees would part, and the road would appear, and I could walk back to where the carriage waited. Assuming it would still be there.

"They wouldn't leave me." I assured myself, wiping the sweat from my forehead and smoothing my hair back, my fingers gliding over the tiara from habit. Touching it reminded me of how brave I'd been.

"I wonder if Sofia ever faced down ruthless bandits?" I spoke out loud again, smiling to myself as I fought with a low branch and tripped under and onto to what felt like a worn dirt path. Looking up I clapped excitedly, glad to see that I was right. I hurried along it, realizing that the path was actually two grooves that ran beside one another, about five feet apart. I didn't realize carts or carriages ran through the woods. This meant that somebody would be nearby to help me!

Above me, even through the trees, the sky was still blue. I knew if it had been nighttime I could have easily found my way home. I'd been religiously studying the stars for over a decade now, and all I would need to do was find the Pan constellation, and the North Star. We'd been traveling south from Dunwitty village, and heading north would eventually bring me back to the road. But following the cart tracks would work out, I convinced myself. So I lifted my pink skirts higher and hurried through the trees, eager to have someone take the reigns on this little messy adventure I'd gotten into.

It looked like there was an opening in the trees ahead, and I forged on, stopping as I came through and saw two men standing calmly beneath a tall apple tree. I lifted one hand into the air and let out an exaggerated breath in relief. I waved my manicured hand eagerly at them.

"Hello! Excuse me!" I called, putting an edge into my voice that bespoke my noble status, "I need assistance!"

Both the men turned and looked at me, and from under their hoods all I could see were black masks and dirty faces. I froze, my hand lingering in the air as fear curled around my stomach, flooding me with a pricking sensation. They were the same thieves from the road, and as they pushed off from the tree and stalked towards me, I realized the one on the right had pulled the bow from his back.

"You're the thieves from earlier!" I said, my voice coming out high pitched and terrified.

"What's a pretty princess like you doing running around these woods?" The armed one said, looking around, as if he expected someone to follow behind me from the forest. I realized then that this was the one who had taken a shot at me. Without thinking, I acted, drawing my hand back and halting his approach with a slap across his face. His head turned barely to the side, and my fingertips stung.

"You shot at me! You ruined my hair!" I screamed, something bubbling up in me. I raised my foot and brought it down on his toes, and he swung at me, cuffing me on the shoulder, but propelling me into action. I turned and ran, screaming loudly back into the trees.

"Hildegard! Clio! Help!" I cried, both hands holding up my dress, my feet sliding over dirt and rocks, and everything in the forest seemed to reach out and grasp for me, snagging my dress and my hair. My cries and the sound of me running did nothing to drown out the sound of the two men chasing me. I could hear them chuckling and hollering, and they sounded like they were everywhere. In the branches and on the ground, running beside me or not far behind.

"Help!" I screamed again, ducking under a branch, stumbling over my own petticoats, losing my right shoe. I would have called for the driver as well, but I had never learned his name. I stopped screaming to catch my breath, sweat coated my skin and made the fabric of my gown cling to my arms and legs. The corset that assisted my already perfect figure clung to me and barely let me take the gulping breaths I had resorted to. I didn't run! I didn't do obstacle courses and sports. That was Sofia. Always Sofia.

Of course if she was here she'd probably be in pants and a blouse, and able to run and jump with ease. She'd have forgone the expensive dress in order to be 'comfortable' while traveling. She'd probably have learned the stupid driver's name, too!

I threw an arm out to push away another low hanging branch, and threw myself forward. The ground was suddenly missing from beneath my feet, and I flailed, dropping forward and hitting the ground and rolling to the bottom of the ditch. Pain blossomed against my temple, my face resting against something hard. A ringing, in my ears, the rest of the world was quiet, and finally the blue sky went away.

Leaving me in complete darkness.

The only thing I couldn't find, despite my experience, was the stars.


	3. Chapter 3

" _Before the clock struck half past three, she'd drank the wine, she'd drank the mead!_ "

" _She struck the cat, she whipped the dog, she threw my good boots into the bog!_ "

"Ha! I tell ya', if my wife eveh threw out mah good boots-"

"As if any woman would ever marry you."

There was laughter. Loud laughter, and snorts, and the sound of hands hitting shoulders good-naturedly that made me turn my head and groan. It sounded like James and his friends were being exceptionally loud in the other room, again. We lived in a giant castle with hundreds of rooms, and he still brought his friends to his to play cards and roll dice so that Baileywick wouldn't see.

"You're the bane of my existence!" I hissed tiredly, going to roll over into my pillow, surprised when I was unable to move. My eyes drifted open slowly, my vision fuzzy, and my head jolted back and hit my headboard as my bed bounced beneath me suddenly. I gritted my teeth to bear through a sharp pain that erupted in my head from the bump.

No, I wasn't in my bed... I was moving. A cart? I turned my head and could see the backs of two men sitting above me on a bench, one holding reins, the second holding a mug and swinging it merrily. Terror began to fill me, and I looked down, squeezing my eyes shut and shaking my head. Moving my head so fast made me dizzy, and I rested my forehead against the wooden floor. This wasn't right. I wanted to be home, and in bed. Not here! Not.. where was I?

I glanced up. Out the back of the cart I could see that we were on a road leading away from the forest. Not a nice cobblestone path, or even the well groomed dirt one I'd been on earlier. This road was over grown and almost hidden under the untamed brush that hung across it. It must have been a seldom used trail they were taking me down. But to where?

My arms were tied behind my back, and it took several long moments for me to use my shoulders to wiggle up and against the bench. Everything felt so foggy, and it took me a moment to register that the mug slinging man was now leaning back to look at me.

"Ah! She's awake. Was we singing too loud for you to sleep, yo' highness?" He asked, and as he spoke a plop of liquid sloshed over his mug and onto my dress.

"You oaf!" I scolded, drawing my knees tightly towards me to slide my dress further away from his putrid smelling drink. He laughed, and the other man laughed, and I took a deep breath.

"You will let me go at once!" I roared, flinching as the mug wielder flung his legs around and slumped forward to look at me.

"Or what?" He asked, picking at his teeth with a particularly long pinky nail that made me groan in disgust, his dark eyes watching me through a black mask.

"Or you'll die. Painfully and slow. With a noose around your neck. _On my orders_." I snapped, and that got his attention. Even with my hands tied I felt a surge of self satisfaction at the look on his face. I wouldn't say surprised, but he certainly hadn't been expecting that. And when he grabbed my hair and yanked me forward, causing pain to flare bright and sharp along my scalp and behind my eyes, starting from my temple, I hadn't expected it at all.

"Yo'e lucky," He breathed, his rancid breath hot against my cheek, choosing to ignore my gasps of pain. "Lucky you a royal. Lucky, because that means we gets in trouble if we kills ya." He pressed a soft kiss to my cheek, leaving behind a greasy residue before letting go of my hair with a shove. It sent me back against the side of the cart, and the other man looked away from the road and hit his partner hard on the shoulder.

"Don't break nuffin' on 'er." He scolded, looking back at me, a semblance of pity in his gaze as tears began to stream down my shocked face. "The Baron'll kill us if she's 'urt."

The man who had had shoved me scoffed and turned back around, the two of them growing silent as I began to cry. I wilted after that. Bending over my legs I curled into them as much as I could and sobbed as my head ached. Before I knew it I was hiccuping and wiping my nose futilely on my knees, and my captors both broke up the sounds of my wails with high volume conversation and more singing. At one point they both turned around, and threatened to gag me if I didn't shut up, and with a frown I sealed my lips and sniffled pitifully.

This was awful. Just awful! How had things gotten so bad so fast? And why wouldn't they just let me go? I couldn't get them gold or jewels if my father had no idea I was missing! Between pouting and crying, I couldn't help but overhear what they spoke about.

The one driving was called.. something. And the barbaric hair puller was Frank. Both were dirty thieves, part of some band that currently resided in the forest, and I was being taken to their boss. I perked up when I heard this. Their boss! The thief who had taken my crown! He'd already shown me a kindness. I reassured myself that this man would punish these morons and let me go if I spun a good enough sob story. I straightened my shoulders and lifted my nose, parts of my body aching dreadfully as I moved into a regal position.

"What're you lookin' so smug for?" Frank the Moron asked, and I turned away with a hum of 'I know something you don't know'.

"Because when your boss finds out what you've done to me, you'll be flayed alive, I'm sure."

Both the men laughed, and I rolled my eyes towards them, arching a brow in irritation. "Laugh now. Your boss and I are already acquainted. He'll be appalled at the way you man-handled me in this... rickety, smelly cart!"

"I'll bet." Growled Frank the Dolt.

The other one looked back at me uncertainly. They bent towards one another and began whispering, and I shifted myself so that I could look out the back of the cart and ignore them. We'd left the open trail and were back in the woods, and the cart slowed as we approached what sounded like a village.

In fact, it sounded just like Dunwitty did during market times in the day. Sofia had brought me once, and while it had been dusty, and hot, I'd enjoyed coming away with plenty of new fabric for petticoats and blackberries for cook to make into a pie.

But this place was nothing like Dunwitty.

We began passing tents, pens and stalls, and I watched as children, women, goats and chickens stood on the side of the trail that ran through their camp and stared at me. Men stopped sharpening knives and whittling to stand and get a look. I kept my back as straight as possible, channeling Princess Tigerlily who once sat with an anchor tied to her chest on a rock, sinking into the tide, without an ounce of fear.

I saw children being lifted into their mother's arms, women patting their cowls and kerchiefs, and men pointing at the marvelous shade of pink my gown was. I could see that they were similar looking to the villagers in Dunwitty, though there were a motley of different cultures in the blend. Simple clothes over tanned skin and a mismatch of features. The men were all muscular and fit, the women round from children and chores, and the kids were all filthy with smudged cheeks. What I didn't see, from any of these people, was awe. Not a single face was impressed or astonished to see me. No one looked at me like I was a treasure. No, they all sneered or shrugged indifferently, and it made me want to flare with anger and consume the cart for kindling. Hadn't they ever seen a Princess before? Sure, my gown was dirty, and I needed a bath more than I could express. But I was still someone who deserved reverence.

I was their Princess. I could be their Queen some day!

I caught the eye of a tiny young girl with auburn hair, and glared, causing her to hide her face away in her mother's neck. Good. I smiled triumphantly as the cart came to a stop. Frank the Git grabbed my arm and hauled me to my feet, leading me to the edge of the cart where the driver held his arms up for me. His hands found my waist and he lifted then set me down carefully, but I stumbled forward when he let go. The ground was uneven and I was missing a shoe, it seemed. They marched me around the cart and away from the crowd that had already broken up to return to work.

We were in the center of the camp, tucked neatly down and into the trees, away from roads and any village that would be able to hear my call for help. A large dirty white tent is where we were headed, and Frank the Dunce shoved me through the flap first, then followed me in.

"Stop shoving me, you imbecile!" I snarled, jerking my bound arms out of his grasp once I'd gotten a chance to turn. The inside of the tent was much larger than I'd thought it'd be. There was room to stand straight, and it stretched a good ten feet backwards before connecting with another tent, the curtain between them closed. I could see a thick fur blanket on a single feather mattress in one corner, what looked like several oak wood and iron caskets with massive padlocks stacked in another, and a low, red lacquer table surrounded by blue cushions with gold tassels in the center of the room. The bars holding up the tent were draped with lanterns, tiny pocket sized mirrors, and strings of beads, and dusty oriental rugs were strewn about the floor. It was all very odd and none of it matched and I scoffed loudly.

"For people obsessed with wealth, your taste is dreadful." I smarmed, making a show to look around then back at my captors, and Frank the Bastard looked about ready to hit me again before a cough caught his attention. Standing in the second doorway several feet away was a tall woman with almond shaped eyes and jet black hair. She was glistening and damp, and wearing only a small robe and odd blue slippers. I'd never seen another woman in such a state of undress, and in front of two grown men, nonetheless. I blushed and turned my face away to keep from staring or stumbling over my words.

"Now, now." She cooed, crossing her arms over her chest, "Let's play nice."

Her accent was heavy, and the way she rounded out her mouth and spoke so slowly led me to believe that this was not her first language, but one she was executing carefully in order to sound less foreign. Much the way Princess Jun of Wei-Ling had when she'd begun attending Royal Prep.

"She runs 'er mouth a lot." Frank the Fool supplied, and the woman frowned, causing him to shirk back. Her eyes drifted back to me, and her viperous smile returned. I gave her my own formidable look and tilted my head, ignoring the ache in my neck and shoulders.

"Your help is lacking." I stated simply, and she rewarded me with a smile that showed her teeth. I noticed they weren't as straight as mine.

"Sometimes, yes. But not today." She looked to the bandits, "Stone said you stopped a royal carriage today."

"Yes'm." Said the bandit whose name I still didn't care to know, "She was one of the Princesses we lifted from."

The woman frowned and sneered with her unpainted lips at them. "And you decided to bring her along?"

"No ma'am." The driver spoke quickly, shaking his head. I felt odd caught in the middle of this, suddenly nervous. Who was Stone? And where was the Baron?

"She came upon us in the forest. She had this." He fished in his pocket and pulled out my gold tiara, and I immediately lunged for it, yelping in pain when Frank the Ruffian yanked me back.

"That's mine! How dare you!" I shrieked, my voice rising in pitch in my desperation. I couldn't believe I had forgotten about it! The tiara was the whole reason I was in this silly mess in the first place! I'd gotten it back for all of a hour and already it was in someone else's hands- again! I blushed as the woman took it from him and held it up, her lips curling up appreciatively at the craftsmanship, her other hand drifting up to gently touch my chin. Her skin was cold and smooth, and I felt heat crawl up my neck as her nails scraped underneath my chin, promptly closing my mouth with the slightest bit of pressure.

"Is this important?" She purred, ignoring me, and the driver nodded.

"Aye, ma'am. She 'ad it. But Stone lifted it from her himself. No idea how she got it back."

The woman's hand dropped, and her head snapped to the side. Her expression I found confusing, but I didn't get much longer to look before she pulled me to the table and sat me down, facing the tent flap. With my arms behind my back I had to wiggle and lean forward in order to get comfortable in my dress on the cushion. Looking down I could see the pink gown was stained with blood and mud, and in utter shreds. I felt wickedly unprepared for whatever was happening.

Being well dressed was my way of donning armor. Snapping and maneuvering a fan was how I brought finality and power to my words. My jewels declared my position and the wealth behind the crown my family wore. It told of our ability to feed and care for our people. It told of our readiness to build armies and train soldiers to be deadly and strong on the battlefield. And this tiara was dear to me. It had been a gift from my mother. Not Miranda. My mother, who had always known I was going to be the perfect Princess.

I watched the woman set the tiara in the middle of the table and look back up to the men.

"Bring me Stone." Was all she said, and she quickly turned and stripped, grabbing a lapis colored tunic from the bed and slipping it on as the men watched slyly for a moment before leaving. She was pulling on dark pants and tying a gold cloth belt around her waist as she came to sit beside me. She touched my cheek calmly, causing me to turn my attention towards her.

"I bet you're confused." She said, speaking slowly.

"Not entirely." I lied, looking straight ahead. "I know you're all wretched thieves in my woods. And I look forward to watching you all hang for my treatment."

I flinched when her fingers grazed up my cheek to the sore spot on my temple. She clucked her tongue in disappointment.

"Such fair skin. It is a shame." She tapped the spot and I whimpered and pulled away. It hurt! And she knew it did. She chuckled and dropped her hand to my shoulder.

"You are exactly what I always thought a Princess would look like."

"Seeing me must be a childhood dream come true." I said stiffly and proudly. She laughed a little longer than normal, and the sound was bitter and mocking.

"I dreamed of important things as a child. Food, clothes- my parents to be alive." She was grinning and I felt my stomach twist in horror and pity, but she continued, saying, "Now I dream of something more. And you will be my ticket to that."

She grabbed my chin suddenly, her nails digging into my flesh, forcing me to turn to her. I tried to pull back, but like a snake, she drifted closer, her legs brushing against my hip. I felt like I was being swallowed up, squeezed in coils that rippled and kept me from struggling. I hadn't noticed how bright and crystal blue her eyes were.

"You are my new dream, little Princess."

She pulled back just as the tent flap opened and man walked in.

"Baron!" The man said, sweeping in like he owned the place. He was missing his hood and mask, and I could finally see his ashy blonde hair, and a crooked nose that seemed to fit perfectly on his tan face. At first he'd been smiling, sauntering in, full of confidence, his white teeth standing out pleasantly, until he saw me. His smile fell, and he looked confused, and then his sight drifted down to the tiara in the middle of the table.

His fists clenched at his side as he then took in my wretched appearance and the tears sliding down my cheeks as I shook.

"Stone!" The woman said pleasantly, rising to her feet with great poise. "Look what Frank and Zane found. Look familiar?"

I met his gaze and let out a trembling breath.


	4. Chapter 4

I felt like I was in the middle of something I didn't completely understand. I wasn't a fool. I usually caught onto things easily enough. But in this moment, I felt like I was indeed out of the loop. Navigating large gatherings, exchanging waspish comments with friends, playing the metaphorical chess game of being royal- I could do all of that with a fan and some lip rouge. But I was finding that the traditions and subtleties of court were easy to deal with compared to watching these two thieves size one another up.

The Baron, the woman who had been casually touching me just a moment ago, was still as a statue, her body perfectly controlled as she watched Stone flounder for an excuse for me and my tiara's presence. He was less controlled. I could see now that his demeanor, that bravado and charisma, was a cover for being impulsive. He'd acted on impulse when he'd threatened my life, when he'd allowed me to follow him into the woods, and even when he'd given me my tiara back.

Now he was being called out on it, and it was interesting to watch the wheels turn as he worked up an answer. He started by relaxing, exhaling through his nose as his mouth curled up into a smile. He looked me over slowly, all tension seemingly leaving his body.

"Her's is a familiar face indeed." He pointed casually to the tiara on the table and asked me jokingly, "How many of those do you travel with?"

I sniffled and my brows pulled together in confusion. But in the space of two seconds I managed to figure out where he was headed.

"Two, at least." I took a shuddering breath, "And now you have both."

Stone turned to the Baron, whose left eyebrow had risen oh so delicately on her otherwise stoic face. He shrugged easily, bending down and snatching up the tiara.

"I guess we didn't search her coach thoroughly enough. My apologies, Baron." He wiggled the tiara at her, and it reminded me of the snake charmers of Tangu. Though I knew I'd rather dance near a cobra without heels than near this woman.

"Then why did they find her bumbling around the forest?" The Baron asked, and she was slithering forward now, her slender hands touching his arm and sliding along his wrist and to his palm where his fingers were still curled around my crown. "Have a moment of weakness, love?"

I blushed just from watching them. He didn't pull away from her, but his brow was creased down into a stern frown, a subtle warning for her to cease. It seemed like he'd implemented that look numerous times before. I wondered if he was doing it for my benefit. Had I not been here would he be so uncomfortable? I ignored the tight feeling in my chest.

"That's why I came into the forest." I stumbled, disrupting their moment, but finding the discomfort in my chest easing at the sound of my voice, "I-I want them back. All of my jewels. The ones you took earlier, and the tiara in your hand."

The Baron finally rolled her gaze to me, and I stilled instantly.

"Hush, your highness. The adults are talking." She purred, and I felt heat rise to my cheeks. I looked down at my body, going through my mental checklist, making sure all of my womanly parts were still there. I saw a slender hourglass shape and ample cleavage. Indeed, I was all there. I couldn't believe that she'd just spoken to me that way. My fear began to evaporate, leaving behind a hot boil in my blood.

"Insolent thief." I snapped, causing both Stone and the Baron to look at me. I didn't falter under their attention now. "I am no child, and you are certainly of no importance to be giving _me_ orders."

I was talking louder than I meant to, and I did my best to rise from my knees to my feet with my hands still bound. I tripped only once before letting my anger out and bunting a cushion away from my feet. I pulled myself up to my full height and looked down my nose at her. Terrifying or not, I wouldn't be treated like a child, not by the likes of a woman who pranced around naked and robbed others of their belongings out of sheer greed.

Stone shot me a warning glance, but I held firm, barely shifting my stance as the Baron sauntered towards me. Her expression was almost impossible to read, even as she bowed her head mockingly at me.

"Of course, your majesty. But you are in no position to be giving any yourself." She lifted her head, her hand once more striking out to delicately touch my cheek. She looked at me as she spoke over her shoulder, "Stone. Take her-"

"My name, is Princess Amber of Enchancia." I interrupted, and I ignored Stone who pressed his palm to his forehead in exasperation from behind her.

"Of course," She said slowly, and the way her cheeks lifted against her blue eyes revealed how furious she actually was. "Please take _Princess Amber_ to where she'll be staying. Make sure she's comfortable. Then join me in my tent once more."

She let go of my face and walked off, her black hair swishing behind her, back through the curtain to the hidden half of the tent. Stone stayed where he was until she was gone, then he hurriedly grabbed me and dragged me outside. We walked quickly past several pens and numerous people, my elbow in his hand, my torso twisted as I fought to keep up with his fast pace.

"Slow down!" I hissed, pulling at my arms. He didn't relent, and I struggled harder.

"Oh, do shut up." He groaned, looking sideways at me. Before I knew it he was hauling me into an empty tent, depositing me in the center of it to go back and shut the flap. I looked around and frowned.

"Where will I sit-"

He rounded on me fast, holding my shoulders and giving me an unneeded shake. I opened my mouth to sling a warning at him, but he spoke first.

"Are you dense? What are you doing here?" His voice was hushed, and my expression twisted into one of confusion.

"I was brought here! By your men! The one who shot me, and ruined my hair." I tried to pull away but he held fast. "I thought you would save me."

He let go of me then, letting out an incredulous bark of laughter.

"Save you? Princess, you don't know what you've gotten yourself into. I'm just a hired thief."

I let his words sink in, my gaze roaming over him skeptically. "Just a thief? I thought you were the leader."

He dragged his hand down his face, tugging at his lips, his hair mussed and mouth gaping. "Leader? The Baron runs this entire camp. I work for her."

My mouth gaped open. I couldn't believe it. He'd been so smooth and demanding on the road. His unexpected show of guilt when he'd returned my tiara had left me thinking he was a man of no consequence. To be fair, he'd never said he was in charge. He'd just been the one commanding the men, and his whole air of confidence had made me assume he was more important. It was his fault!

"Oh, this is just great!" I griped, stamping my one heel.

"Sorry to disappoint." He said sarcastically, which I rolled my eyes at.

"Well then. Untie me." I said, turning and presenting my bound hands for him, lifting my head primly. "You will just have to take me home."

He shook his head, looking at me like I had a third eye. "I can't do that. The Baron has already seen you. There's nothing more I can do for you."

"I can pay you." I said, because the matter was simple enough. I had truly thought my freedom was inevitable and at this point he was the only thing standing in my way. Well, him and an entire camp of bandits and Baron groupies. "I'll double whatever it is she's offered you."

He paused for a second, looking almost tempted, before slowly closing his eyes and shaking his head. "I can't. I like my head where it's at."

"But my father is the King of-" I started, watching his face grow cold as he grabbed my arms once more and pulled me from the tent. I realized he was taking me towards the edge of the camp, where the animals were penned. There was one lone cage, made of iron with thick bars that stood a part from it all.

"Oh, no. I'm NOT going in that." I said, digging my feet into the dirt, causing him to stumble forward. I turned quickly to run and felt his arm come round my waist, lifting me easily off the ground and against him. His face was inches from my neck, and I could feel his warm breath as he chuckled.

"You're heavier than you look."

I gasped and kicked my legs at him. "How dare you! I am sixty percent dress!"

Setting me to my feet, he took advantage of my lack of balance and pushed me into the cage. As I turned to scream at him he drew a dagger.

"Hold still." He said firmly when I tried to pull away. Turning me around, he sliced through the rope and let it fall between us. I felt his thumbs run gently over my wrists before he stepped back and slammed the door shut. He secured the heavy padlock and lingered, watching me. His amusement infuriated me. I leaned against the bars, pressing my face into them, gently running my hand over the red rings of swollen flesh on my right wrist. I'd been about to try bribing him again when his expression changed. He looked torn.

"You should have gone back to your coach when you had the chance." He said softly, before turning on his heels and walking away. It finally sunk in that he was serious. He was leaving me in this cage with nothing to sit on, and no shade, and only some goats and squawking chickens for company.

"Wait! Don't leave me here!" I cried, reaching out for his retreating figure. "What am I supposed to sleep on!?"

Every bit of confidence I had mustered now slipped away. I lowered down to my knees, my hands clutching the door of my cage until my fingers turned white.


	5. Chapter 5

I suppose, for some, there's something humbling about being shoved into a cage in the sun, surrounded by chickens and goats who 'cluck' and 'meh' happily because they aren't aware of their fate as dinner down the road. If Sofia had been in my shoes she'd be standing, proudly, one hand on her hip, the other touching her chin as she contemplated how to escape. Or how to call the animals to come and save her. Or how to magically make everyone love her and not want to keep such a ray of sunshine in a cage. She'd charm them all with her simple, provincial smile. Meanwhile I got to stay put and be reminded of the life lesson that I was flawed and would never be good enough. And by good enough, I meant be Sofia.

So I wasn't humbled. Far from it.

"Ahhh!" I screamed, fisting my hands and slamming them into the door of the cage, tears welling in my eyes. "It's not fair! It's not FAIR!"

I felt the pressure building, and didn't know where to take it out on. My body ached, my head was full of turmoil, and underneath it all, real fear was beginning to spread in my veins and through my body. No one knew where I was. I'd so stubbornly taken off into the forest, leaving behind the coach, the driver, my friends. I'd never spared a moment to think about getting lost or being taken. Now I was here, and it was all too much.

I don't know how long I threw myself around inside that cage. But between my screams and slams, the animals around me were just as upset, and shrieking in fear while trying to escape. A large hen was flapping her wings aggressively at me, not two feet away, and I slid off my remaining shoe and threw it at her through the bars. It hit her feet, and she took off flapping and squawking to her nest, kicking up a cloud of dirt.

"Yeah! You better flap!" I laughed maniacally, sweeping my chaotic blonde hair away from my face. "You better watch those eggs, too!"

I heard a loud cough and turned to see a round woman with tan skin and matted black hair looking at me. She was wearing a rough dress under a dirty apron and unfashionable brown shoes.

"You are finished?" She asked patiently, and I recognized her accent. It was the same one the Baron worked so hard to conceal when she talked. Only this woman was older and didn't bother trying to pronounce everything perfectly. I sent her a glare and pulled my shoulders back.

"Hardly! I demand something to sit on. And some water!"

The woman nodded and walked past me, clucking her tongue and making weird sounds to the chicken, who calmed and approached her slowly. I noticed that the woman had a pail in her hands, and was scooping kernels of feed onto the ground. I swear the chicken made eye contact with me before smugly pecking at the ground. My stomach rumbled and I groaned, pressing my forehead to the bars and closing my eyes. This was a nightmare.

"Water." I heard, and looking up I noticed the woman was holding a ladle of water up to me.

"Don't you have a glass... or a goblet I could drink out of?" I asked, wrinkling my nose in distaste and pushing the ladle away with one finger.

"No water?" She asked, and she shrugged, turning away.

"No! Wait! Yes water." I groaned, reaching out and touching her shoulder with my fingers. She turned and smiled, revealing gaps and crooked teeth, and I did my best to force a smile back. Taking the ladle, I held it as far from my chest as possible as I put my lips to the side and sipped. It was warm, it was slimy, and it was gross.

I handed it back and shuddered. Regardless, the water had done little to make me feel better. But at least it was something. She turned from me and fetched more from a bucket by her feet, and I gagged when she offered the ladle to my neighbor, the goat. I was going to be sick. After tending to the animals and she turned to me and nodded.

"Be quiet." She said calmly, and walked away. I watched her go, finding it immensely irritating how easy it was for these people to leave me to rot in the sun. I fell back down to my knees and wrapped my arms around my stomach, watching my dress settling and deflate around me. Quiet. I wasn't even being that loud! I looked crossly at the animals, who still mehed and clucked at nothing. But at least they weren't shrieking anymore.

I didn't remember falling asleep like that, but when I woke up, I was on my back, and the camp was dark. Above me, somebody leaned against the cage, and I lifted my hand and smacked the metal to get their attention. The figure jumped away, and I grumbled foul words that no Princess would utter out loud in respectable company as I got to my feet. At first I thought it was Stone. _Hoped_ it was him. Back, after changing his mind, to rescue me and take me home. But it was some whelp of a lad, who wrung his hands nervously.

I held my hands out, arching my brows as he looked me over. He looked only to be about sixteen, nervous and gangling, with black hair and thin lips.

"Well? Paint a portrait, why don't you?" I chastised, crossing my arms and tilting my head up. I could see him falter again, and felt pleased with his reaction. This boy had probably never seen the likes of me. I thought for a moment on how to take advantage of this, when he found his tongue.

"I'm to come and fetch you." He said, his voice cracking. I gave him my best sultry look, leaning forward and against the bars. I bumped them with my arms, and looked up at them in disappointment, as if I'd been so enthralled with him I'd forgotten they were there.

"Fetch me? Whatever for?" I said innocently, running my index finger down the bar slowly, watching his eyes follow the trail. "Am I to be punished?"

He choked on air, and took a moment to collect himself, "N-no, Princess. The Baron-"

"Oh!" I said, over acting, throwing my hands up to press my fingertips to my mouth. "I surely am in trouble! Please..." And at this I held my arm from the cage, beckoning to him. He came forward instantly, worry on his face, even visible in the dim light.

"I'm scared..." I said, pouting my lip, and he wrapped both of his dirty hands around mine.

"There's no n-need to be scared." He said, trying to smile, but lost in my gaze. I mentally rolled my eyes. This boy was putty. "The Baron wishes for you to dine with her."

The confusion on my face was genuine, but I quickly suppressed it, trying to hard to wrangle my escape. I was sure this kid was my ticket home.

"I just want to go home." I said, reaching my other arm through the bars, touching his chest. He was so close now I had to bend my knees to give the impression that he was taller than me. It gave me the opportunity to bat my lashes and look up imploringly at him. The keys were on his belt, I could see them on the ring, and I just needed to get-

"Oy. Back up, Lee." Came a stern voice, and the boy instantly pulled away from me, looking over his shoulder in embarrassment.

"Oh, poppycock." I hissed, as Stone sauntered towards us. I straightened up and the boy looked between us both, tense.

"Off you go." Stone growled, and the boy looked at me longingly before darting away.

"Look, you've gone and upset the lad." He said, grinning from ear to ear as he approached me.

"Me?" I said, tossing my hair over my shoulder. "You're the one who interrupted our conversation."

Stone leaned against the bars, his arms above his head, his eyes gliding down my body then back up to my face. "I didn't realize you played that way."

I could smell alcohol on his breath, and I fanned it away, wrinkling my nose in disgust. "You'd be surprised what I have in my arsenal, _ruffian_."

His mouth thinned into a line, and he exhaled in irritation. "You know my name."

I shook my head.

"I just know that you're some..." I looked him over, expressing my distaste with a flick of my hand towards him. Like he was something dirty I didn't want too close. "Hired thief."

He pushed off from the bars and turned his head to spit on the ground. "So it's like that?"

I didn't answer, but I did look away and wish he'd leave me be. I didn't have to answer to him for anything. If he wouldn't get me home, I would find someone who could.

"That boy was supposed to be 'fetching' me."

Stone nodded, fishing keys from his pocket and opening the cage door, and saying, "And the lad was taking too long."

"He was staring at me." I said pointedly, gathering up my skirt with both hands and striking my best royal pose as I stepped from the cage. He slammed the door and came in close behind me. I felt his fingers touch my side, and as I tried to move away, his mouth pressed to my ear.

"Can you blame him?"

His hand found its way to my upper arm, and he dragged me off towards the center of camp, causing my stomach to knot, and making me wish I was still back with the goats.


	6. Chapter 6

Somewhere, far from the Baron's tent, there was the sound of people gathered and talking and laughing. Over the tops of several tents I could see torchlight and flickering shadows against the surrounding forest, and realized they must be having a party of some sort. It couldn't have to do with the Baron, because I was being roughly escorted to her for a supposed dinner.

I looked up at Stone, who every other step was stumbling into me. While his drinking habits were none of my business, I couldn't help but wonder how often he imbibed. Besides the sheen of sweat on his brow, and the smell of his breath, he didn't look drunk. I'd been snitching bottles of wine and enjoying champagne since I was sixteen, and only when I'd had too many glasses did I act like that. The last time I'd drank too much was when I'd ended up dancing barefoot in the observatory, boasting about 'Amberina Major' while Hildegard laughed at me. Sofia hadn't joined us that night, blushing and shaking her head when we'd offered her a sip from the bottle. I was sure she was the reason Baileywick had found us and escorted us back to my room with a moderate lecture and a disappointed frown.

Before we reached the opening of the tent, he yanked me to a halt, and I cried out in surprise. He pulled me to face him, and pressed a finger over his lips to silence me in the dark. His face was lost in the shadows, and when I tried to put space between us, he shortened it with half a step. Without my heels he was almost a foot taller than me, and his broad shoulders covered me in a darkness that made me feel like the world was closing in on us. I never liked to be closed in. I liked large rooms and wide windows. Even more, an open ceiling, and a massive expanse of night sky and stars. It was like breaking the surface after being underwater too long. I found it easier to breath when there was ample room around me. Bigger, was always better.

"Princess." He said without slurring, and I frowned. I'd almost wanted him to sound inebriated so that I could fling an insult at his behavior. "You need to be careful."

I felt goosebumps rise along my flesh. His warning was so sudden that my heartbeat quickened against my chest.

"He says as he delivers me into the lion's den." I said smugly, and I earned a positively melting smile from him. Maybe he hadn't meant to, because he quickly collected himself with a shake of his head and frowned.

"Worse. The Baron is... tricky." He stopped talking, pressing his lips together. I couldn't tell if he had looked away, or if he was watching me for my reaction. I gave him a cat-like smile, and shrugged as nonchalantly as I could, which freed my arm from his grasp. My arm stung from the contact, and along with the rocks and dirt that were digging into my sensitive feet, I added it to my list of bodily discomforts.

"Most women are. I'm sure she'll see reason once we've had a chance to talk." I lifted my free hand and flicked my hair over my shoulder. I could play cool as a cucumber. Now that we were stopped outside, I realized it was a good thing. It gave me a chance to rally and collect myself. I would usually prepare for battle, so to speak, before every social gathering by staring intently at myself in my mirror. I would imagine hundreds of scenarios of potential word sparring, polite conversations, requests of stolen intimate moments; and prepare what my reaction would be to each of them.

I would be at a disadvantage on appearance alone, I decided. My hair was knotted and chaotic, my dress was wrecked beyond repair, and I was missing my jewels. But this, I could deal with. I'd once trekked through the wilderness with Sofia and her group of hiking girls- the Butterscotches, I think?- I'd survived that excursion with only twenty gowns, so I could survive this. As long as I didn't look at myself in a mirror.

He remained silent, and I cooed at him mockingly, bringing my hand up to pat his chest, ignoring the heat and the muscle I could feel.

"Your boyish concern is endearing and all, but I think it's time to wrap this up."

His eyebrows drew down and he opened his mouth finally to say, "I don't think you understand anything."

I snapped my attention back to him, and he actually flinched from the intensity in my glare.

"No. I understand perfectly. I'm going to offer the Baron enough gold to drown in to return me home. There's no price my father won't pay for me." I touched my chest as I puffed it out and threw my head back royally. "Then all of this is going to be _ash_ when our soldiers and Sorcerer sweep in and dispense my wrath."

I didn't mean that last part. But with all the fear and uncertainty lingering in the back of my mind, it had felt good to say it out loud. It made me feel powerful to know that if I wanted I could have an entire village destroyed with a flick of my wrist and a command. But in my heart, I would never order such devastation. There were people here, families. But my words had their desired affect, because Stone stepped back from me immediately. He looked astonished, and I tried not to wither under his disappointment.

I reminded myself that his disappointment shouldn't matter. He was the one dragging me around and doing the Baron's dirty work! He refused to take me home. Refused to accept the rewards and luxury that came with saving a Princess! Smiled at me and said provocative things while being pawed at by some sadistic harlot who threw me in a cage with no shoes or a chair! Whatever connection I'd felt with this man had waxed and waned, and now all I felt was frustration.

He swallowed thickly before saying, "After you."

He waved his hand to the side and I turned, tilting my nose up as I collected my skirts and started walking again. I could feel his eyes burning into my back, and I did very well when it came to pushing my feelings towards him out of my mind.

I entered the Baron's tent without announcing myself and lingered by the opening, waiting for Stone to follow me in, but he made no such appearance. Taking in the room, I could see that the red lacquer table had been moved off to the side of the tent, and was now covered in white dishes painted with blue cherry blossom trees that were piled high with food. Rice, vegetables, peanuts, dumplings, noodles, and several meats soaking in broth took up the center. Then there was hot tea and little portions of soup that looked devoid of filling and made mostly of broth. It was cuisine that I was familiar with, what with my many travels to Wei-Ling, and seeing it solidified my belief that that was where the Baron hailed from.

I made a note to meet up with Princess Jun to ask after the Baron, when she made her entrance, coming in through the curtain. I turned to her with a haughty smile, holding the look as she walked slowly to the center of the room. She was wearing a high-collared red, silk dress that clung tightly to her figure and brushed the floor. I noticed she wasn't wearing any slippers or shoes, but didn't get a chance to see her feet. Her black hair was pulled into a tight bun, studded with silver combs, and in her ears, I recognized my ruby studs.

I remained perfectly still, refusing to let her stoke my anger with the display. Instead I nodded politely, refusing to bow to someone of lower rank, and spread my hands wide.

"Good evening, Baron." She tilted her head forward as well, her lips curling up into a sarcastic smile.

"Amber." She looked me over, and I shifted from side to side, choosing to acknowledge her appraisal.

"I hope I'm not over dressed." I said self-deprecatingly, which earned me a smile that displayed her almost straight teeth. She hid them quickly and shook her head.

"If you wish to freshen up, little Princess, I can arrange a bath before we eat." She said slowly. She then began stepping towards me, and I held my ground, refusing to move as her hand drifted up to touch a lock of my blonde hair that rested against my shoulder. I hesitated, watching her face as her own attention lingered where her hand was touching me. I wasn't surprised when her fingers slipped up to rest on my chin.

Before, when she'd touched me so casually, I'd been bound and fresh off the cart and too caught up and scared to do much else but sit there and accept it. Now I shifted and moved around her until we were parallel, but facing opposite directions, forcing her hand to drop from me.

I remembered Prince Zandar of Tangu once teaching me about snakes at one of his parties. The charmer had allowed the cobra to dance around us, and I'd been so frightened I'd screamed and run off. He'd come for me, leading me back by the elbows in his enthusiastic way, reminding me that snakes only attacked what they perceived as threats. In order to avoid gaining their displeasure, it was best to remain calm, soft, quiet. He said that snakes were curious creatures, and that the charmers weren't actually controlling them, but guiding them, displaying their trust in one another. At that point I didn't go out of my way to add herpetology to my list of interests, but it did keep me from wailing like a little girl and running away immediately when one would slither by me.

Looking at the Baron now, I realized I needed to shift tactics. Control was out of my hands. Threats slid off her scales. But guiding...

I forced my gaze up to hers, and suppressed the shudder that threatened to roll through me. There was such hunger in those crystal blue eyes.

"I accept your kind offer."

I did my best to keep the distrust from my voice.


	7. Chapter 7

I was immensely pleased.

Pleased with how I was conducting myself. Pleased with how this meeting was going so far. _Beyond_ pleased that I was going to get a chance to bathe. I was going to wash all this dirt and sweat from my skin, insist that the Baron give me a clean dress to wear, and sit down with her to demand my tiara and my release. When I had told Stone I was going to bribe her with all the gold she could carry, I'd meant it. To turn me down would be foolish. At some point an army was going to come for me, if a search wasn't already under way. Should the soldiers of Enchancia stumble upon this camp with me still in it, there would be retribution. I had threatened them all with hanging, and it was still within my power to see this through.

I had decided to delay bringing up my complaints with my treatment so far. The last time I had thrown around orders and threats, she'd thrown me in a cage for several hours. And between the sun touching my sensitive skin and the goat water, I had no desire to return.

I watched as the Baron poked her upper half out of the opening of her tent, and heard her clap her hands three times. As she tucked back in, three women came rushing after, all wiping their hands down their aprons or smoothing down stray hairs. For the first time, she spoke in her foreign tongue to these women, and they all nodded quickly. They turned and looked at the ground as they scurried into the next room.

The Baron ambled up to me, her smile wide enough that I thought it was going to split clean to her ears.

"I will have my women assist." She curled her hand up and gingerly touched her own hair. "They are wonderful."

Inching closer, she bent her knees and gathered up my skirts, and I fought with myself to keep from shoving her away. Instead I took a half step back and bent my knee, and from my perspective it looked more like she was working on my dress than invading my personal space. Again.

She clucked her tongue at the condition of my skirt, then let it down just as gently as she'd lifted it. She kept one hand near my hip, her finger tips stroking the exquisite beading along the base of the bodice now covered in mud and dried alcohol.

"A shame what the forest can do to nice things." She purred, catching my gaze. "Please, borrow whatever you'd like. It is.. an apology, for your treatment earlier."

I arched a brow at her and nodded, pleased that she was finally bringing that up, ignoring her fingers as they pressed harder into my hip. "Yes, I should say that apology is overdue."

She tilted her head, just so, and kept her blue eyes locked onto me. "I have been told that I can be... jealous. My command was hasty."

She said the last word with difficulty. It was the worst imitation of an apology I had ever seen. And I'd seen Prince Hugo apologize to Sofia after touching her bottom while ice dancing once. But, while Sofia had forgiven Hugo in earnest, truly trusting his character, I wouldn't be so dense. We both knew that my being a 'guest for dinner', was a farce. I was still a prisoner, and she still hadn't gone out of her way to outline exactly how that was going to change. The Baron was trying to please me, and on a whim I decided to push a little.

"There was no need to be jealous, Baron. I'm royalty, yes. But still human. Just like you." I gave her a pitying smile, and touched her shoulder. She looked confused for a moment, and I waved my hand between us casually.

"Dreams and tickets and all that. Now. Allow me to freshen up, and we'll eat and discuss my return to my father's castle. And your reward for my safe return."

I felt a familiar tingle in my stomach. It felt so good to slide back into giving orders. I turned towards the curtain, feeling rather satisfied before her fingers wrapped around my wrist, holding me in place. I felt her chest press into my back, and I turned, breathing quickly through my nose. Her face was inches from mine, and I felt the air between us shift.

"Your turn, little Princess." She hissed, and her expression melted into pure fury. I swallowed slowly, then nodded, but I was confused by her mercurial moods. My turn? To apologize?

"For what?" I asked incredulously, and she stroked her thumb across my wrist, her nail scraping the welt left from the ropes that had bound me.

"I have apologized for my cruelty..." She stated simply, and I forced a smile. She truly hadn't, but...

"Yes. I suppose you have. And I apologize as well, Baron." I said, pulling away just far enough to bow slightly to her. My body was tense and I was sure she could feel it where her hand held my wrist.

She let go of me, slowly, watching my expression as I straightened up. I wanted to be a coward and turn away, but something in her gaze was hypnotizing. Then she smiled, revealing her teeth, and the air shifted once more. I felt like I could breath again as she let me go and started towards the curtain.

I only hesitated for a moment before I took a deep breath and followed her from the main tent through the curtain she'd pulled her previous disappearing act through. I repeated over and over in my head that soon I would be home.

The tent beyond was dark, and I squinted at her back, just able to see the shine of her hair before it disappeared. Where were the other women? Weren't they supposed to be preparing a bath? How she'd gotten this room so dark was a mystery to me, and I tried to ignore the warning pricks that crawled up my spine.

"Baron? Yoo-hoo!" I called, trying to keep the tremble from my voice. "I seem to have lost you..."

I lowered my arms and reached behind me for the curtain so that I could return to the other tent. My hands met nothing but air, and I gasped and turned to look back. The curtain was gone. No light outlined its shape and when I lurched forward my fingers only touched more air.

"Baron!" I said shrilly, turning in a circle, my arms stretching out to feel for anything. There was nothing, and I thought I was alone until something whispered along the ground. I turned to my left, terrified. It sounded like something fast was moving around the room. I stumbled further away, unsure if I was going backwards or forwards until a match was struck and light bounced off the walls across the room, halting me in my tracks.

I could see a hand leading the match to something, and I let out a tense sigh when a candle was lit. But then three more candles lit up around me, finally brightening the room enough for me to make out faces. The three women the Baron had summoned were standing near their own candles, their dark eyes focused on me. I gulped, looking around to each of them. They didn't stir or speak, and my terror grew when I realized they weren't even blinking. Where once there had been women now seemed to be a collection of statues.

I rounded on the Baron, who was standing facing me, her back to her candle.

"What is the meaning of this?" I choked out, crossing my arms, trying to cease my shaking. "I don't appreciate your games-"

" _Anute a la hen toy. Vezeer ros batok. Tok tok. Batok._ " She said calmly, and I faltered.

"W-what?"

" _Aye tu vat lat tet. Tubor el lason._ " The Baron's hand shifted to her hip, and her hand slide down and into the slit of her dress and up her thigh. I looked away then, my hand pressing around my cheek as I covered my eyes. When I heard footsteps crunching towards me, I turned back and let out a scream. She was slowly advancing forward with one hand outstretched and the other holding a dagger. I turned to flee-

And jolted back as I hit an invisible wall. It knocked the wind out of my lungs and caught me off guard. There was nothing there. Nothing to stop me from running. When I tried to move away again, I hit the same push. I began to cry, and I pressed both of my hands against the force. In that moment, I was gripped with sheer terror. I began babbling and saying, "Please don't hurt me", over and over again. I looked over my shoulder at her twice, watching her take her time as she circled me, dagger held high.

Every time I would catch a glimpse of her blue eyes I would scream and more sobs would rattle my body. I couldn't seem to find my center. Calm was an illusion. I was about to die. The Baron seemed to grow bored with tormenting me as she lowered the dagger and reached forward. Whatever kept me from running didn't seem to affect her. Touching me made me swing at her, and she caught my wrist with ease. She held it tight, and I added a whimper of pain to the multitude of pathetic sounds I'd been making.

"Princess Amber." She said slowly, and I sniffled and nodded my head, pulling against her. "Do you want this to be over?"

I shook my head, wailing out, "No, please. I don't want to die!"

It wasn't supposed to end like this. This wasn't happening.

"Say 'yes', Princess." She insisted, digging her nails into my skin, drawing blood. I screamed and she hissed like a snake to get my attention. The sound echoed in my head. "Say you want this to be over."

Part of my mind rang warning bells and prickled with anger. It told me to fight. To be brave. To never give in. The other part begged me to save myself. Do whatever it takes to survive. Run. Slap. Bite. Scream. Bribe. Lie.

Live.

"I'll give you gold-" I started, and she hissed again. I closed my eyes and blubbered more.

"Say it." She growled. The candles that had once been so bright now began to dim, and the air grew dense and settled at our feet. I didn't know what was happening. This was beyond my grasp of things. This wasn't fans, dancing, or stars. This wasn't me. I should have been saved by now! I felt the Baron twisting my wrist, palm up, and I opened my eyes. She held the tip of the dagger to my skin, and met my gaze.

"Say you want this to be over. And it shall be done." She said, suddenly smiling sympathetically, like she had the answers to my problems. Like my compliance would end this whole nightmare. I nodded, weak, and finally opened my mouth.

"Y-yes, yes! I want this to be over. Yes!" I forced a smile. The biggest smile I'd ever had. It cracked my lips and made my cheeks hurt. And the Baron smiled back, elated with my words. Then she pressed the blade into my flesh and slashed it across my fingers. Pain shot through me like I'd never felt before. It was so fresh and wretched that I fell to my knees, adding pressure to where she still held me. I grabbed my wrist with my other hand and tried to pull away, but she wouldn't relent. She kept me anchored as I swayed on my knees.

Through tears I watched her grip the blade in her teeth and slash her own hand, blood dripping down her arm and landing on my cheek. She pressed her hand to mine, and smeared our blood together, and just like that the pain was gone. The air still swirled around us, and the other women still stood where they were. Sculptures of living, breathing people.

" _Anute a la hen toy. Vezeer ros batok. Tok tok. Batok._ "

The Baron was chanting, and I sagged down, unable to focus, looking at the ground as I willed this to end. I'd said what she'd wanted. I wanted this to be over. Now I could see there was a tight circle painted around me in red in the dirt, and written in a ring on the outside were tiny little symbols I didn't understand.

" _Aye tu vat lat tet. Tubor el lason..._ "

It didn't matter because the circle and the symbols all disappeared as the Baron stopped chanting.

Around us applause broke out, and I finally lifted my head, watching the other women come forward, smiles lighting their features. They were acting as if nothing had happened. As if their eyes hadn't just been filled with darkness, and their bodies frozen in place. They were clapping, clapping for the woman dressed in red silk, standing above me and looking at her hand in awe. Clapping for her as she touched her now blonde hair and ran a finger along the porcelain white skin of her neck.

Clapping for the woman who was now, head to toe, an exact image of _me_.


	8. Chapter 8

Her red silk dress was baggy and bunched around her middle as she bent down to me. My hand- No. Her hand, that looked like my hand, reached out and softly touched my chin. Her expression was foreign. I'd never made that face or seen myself make it in all my life. And I spent a considerable amount of time in front of mirrors examining my perfection. Maybe she was trying to convey victory, but it was muddled by something else. Frustration, disappointment maybe?

When her brow creased, and her lips pouted, I knew she was intently contemplating something. Her fingers began idly wiping at my cheeks, smearing away my tears into the dirt on my face. I faintly recalled there was dirt and blood.

"How interesting." She cooed, and when her hand shifted I felt her tugging on my hair. I looked to her fingers and screamed. It was high-pitched and perfectly justified in its intensity. I jumped to my feet, swaying and light headed. The Baron had lost her hold of me, and now I was fisting my hands in my hair, holding it up until it began to shake and tumble from my trembling, bloody fingers.

Black. My hair was black. Inky and silky, and hanging straight across my shoulders like a curtain of midnight.

"What did you do?" I demanded, letting go of my hair, my hands falling to clutch parts of my body, terrified of what I wouldn't find. It was there that I felt relief. It was still mine. My chest, my hips, my fingers, my pale skin. And when I touched my face it all felt right.

All, but my glorious blonde hair, was still in place.

"You have been touched by magic before." She spoke monotonously, and I looked back to see her, standing and gathering her new hair off her shoulders to tie back with a ribbon one of her women offered her. She cast one of them a lingering look. "No one foresaw this."

I realized the Baron still sounded like herself. Her voice hadn't changed, and it was odd to watch my mouth form the words with such difficulty. But magic? What magic? Sofia messed with magic. I knew better and kept my distance. Magic had always backfired on me. A misplaced wish here, a hopeful demand turned curse there. Getting mixed up with magic had proven to be a calamity time and time again. So for years I'd kept myself from wishing for a new tiara, or demanding stunning costumes and help with school tasks.

The Baron had proved my point, again.

"I don't _do_ magic." I growled, pointing at her angrily. " _You_ did this to me! To yourself."

I looked at her with revulsion. I was infuriated. Intimidated.

I was scared.

Touching my chest, I shook my head. "You can't be me. I'm _me_!"

"Your outrage is informative." She purred, and she lifted her arms as the women began fussing around her. Two of them tightened a sash around her waist as one of them cleaned the blood from her hand with a rag and then turned to fetch a cloth to cover the wound. "I must look _very_ convincing."

"You won't get away with this." I swore, reminding myself of Princesses from storybooks who always declared this before the evil plot was put into action. They always swore one thing, and the villain delivered another. "They'll know you aren't me. There's only one me."

"Not for long." The Baron replied calmly, waving her hands gently. The gesture was for the three older women, who bowed with smiles and shuffled back from the Baron. She began walking towards me, her smile radiant and unsettling to me.

"Whatever magic protects you is old, little Princess. Soon my spell will take effect, and there will be only one of us."

I felt my hands rise to my hair again, touching it, disgusted by its alien texture. All of her comments and touches, everything was beginning to fall into place. I was her ticket to something better. There she stood, an immaculate image of me. And whatever magic was inside of me was fighting my transformation into her. I was going to turn into her.

"I'll never be you. I'll find a Sorcerer, I'll reverse your dark magic!" I began to take steps backwards in time with hers. There was a sense of panic rising in my chest, worse than what I'd felt before during her dark ceremony. Because now there was no pain or confusion to mingle with it. I knew where this was going. Knew my options had narrowed.

"It's too late." She chuckled, watching me as she slithered forward, the action unusual to watch on my form.

"Whatever you're planning..." I paused, trying to pull myself up. I was trying to make myself look regal, and commanding. The way my father could when it was time to be the King of Enchancia. The way Sofia did with her endless optimism and confidence. "I'll stop _you_."

"I'm sorry, Princess Amber." She said softly, her fingers brushing under her skirt, drawing out her terrifying dagger once more. I could see now in the candlelight that it was curved and white, shaped like snake's fang. "But I no longer see a reason in keeping you around."

At the same moment she lunged, I backed into the table that held all the candles. It tilted before I darted to the side and rocked forward into her. I flinched at the sound of her scream as she landed in the flames and wax. I hit the edge of the tent and flung up the wall and took off running out and into the camp.

All around me was flickering lights and dark tents. The Baron's people were still at their gathering at the front of the camp, so I made my way back. Back towards my cage and those wretched chickens and goats. I avoided the prison, and threw my hands over my mouth to muffle my cry of fright when I heard yells fill the air behind me. I couldn't help looking back over my shoulder, watching the flickering torches begin to march quickly towards me.

In the back of my mind, I knew this was futile. They would catch me, or I would stumble, just like I had before.

Whenever I was in trouble, my immediate reaction was to call for help. But doing so the last time had distracted me. I'd fallen and that had led to my capture. But this time there would be no bringing me to the Baron. They would kill me, and the Baron would masquerade as me without worries of someone revealing her secret.

Oh Maker. My family!

I had to get home!

I broke free from the camp and skidded into the forest, surrounded instantly by towering dark trees and plants and roots that snagged at my dress and tore up my feet. I hurt all over. So much. Everything was catching up to me, and I was running out of ideas. I screamed when something shot from the darkness and caught my hair, dragging me roughly into a bush, where I jerked and lashed out as hard as I could with my arms and legs.

They clamped their hands around my arms pinning them down, and I felt a chest weigh down on mine. It pressed me into the dirt, then a hand came up and over my mouth, effectively silencing me.

I could hear footsteps pounding against the forest floor. My pursuers had caught up to me. I stilled long enough to look upwards, viewing the world upside down.

Firelight filled the forest, casting a dark shadow around me and my captor in our little hole beneath the bush. I blinked away tears and the stinging pain of dirt that had coated my face during our scuffle, and let out a shuddering groan of sadness when I looked up and recognized Stone above me.


	9. Chapter 9

It only took seconds for the foot steps to thunder past us. I watched Stone's head turn, following their path before snapping back towards the camp, silent as he waited for something. Then he gently eased off of me, his hands coming down to rest on my shoulders.

"Are you alright?" He whispered with concern.

I didn't like this tension between us, and I didn't have the energy to play any of his games. I wasn't going to keep switching from hot to cold, especially when he made me feel chilled all over. He didn't get to be concerned. He didn't get to make little comments and gestures towards me, then switch off and leave me alone. I was beginning to wonder if he even knew how to feel a regular emotion without slapping on a facade to cover it up. Couldn't he just turn on his act and stay that way? Selfish thief I could handle. Concerned and friendly was making my head spin.

"You delivered me to a monster! She tried to kill me." I declared. I shrugged his hands off of me and slapped at his chest, trying to put a large amount of space between us.

"Shut up." He growled low, sitting back, looking down at me in disbelief. " _You_ left your coach. It's not like I invited you for tea!"

I scooted back from my place between his legs. "Oh no? If I recall someone came to 'fetch me for dinner'! Ring a bell?"

He ran a hand over his face, sighing softly against his palm. "I know. I had no idea something was going to happen. Until-"

"Until when?" I hissed, trying to move back more, but he caught my knees through my dress and pulled me closer, back into the bush, away from the trail that people would surely be traveling on. I felt on edge, and itched to get up and continue running. I hadn't escaped yet.

" _Until,_ the Aunt's left the party to go see her." He muttered, passing his hand through his hair. "Then I knew something bad was happening."

"The Aunts?" I repeated.

"Three old ladies. About this big, and this wide." He said, giving exaggerated measurements with his hands to describe the women as short and fat. Which wasn't too far from the truth. "Wicked mean. Do some dark magic when they think no one is looking. Everyone they involve always ends up the same. 'Oh, so-and-so is missing? Must have moved to the village ten miles back'."

I nodded dumbly, because they had been there, doing dark magic indeed.

"The Baron tried to kill me." I said, and I sniffled, loudly, as fresh tears began to make their way down my cheeks. "Do you know what else she did?"

I felt him tense in response. His hand drifted to my neck and he rubbed my black hair between two fingers, his look hard to read. "It must have been bad, Princess."

I nodded, pouting my bottom lip. His arms opened and I forgot what I'd just cautioned myself from doing and curled into them, wiping my nose along his sleeve and burying my face against his chest. I was waiting for his arms to wrap around me, to comfort me with the concern that he'd just shown. When he gripped my shoulders and shoved me off, I landed back on my elbows and sniffed disbelievingly up at him.

"Woah, woah. That was not a cuddle invite, Princess." He said, discomfort in his tone. "That was a, 'hey, we should get going' gesture."

"How rude!" I scolded loudly, embarrassed, flinching from the volume and looking around to make sure no one had heard me before I redirected my anger towards him. "Have you no sense of chivalry? When a Princess is crying-"

"Then the thief should get her to suck it up and stop making noise because it's going to get them killed." He raised both eyebrows at me, and I huffed in response.

"You should be flattered that I'm even letting you near me!" I hissed, and when I tried to roll away this time, he scooted back and let me.

"You should be glad I don't turn you in to the Baron."

I froze on my knees and looked his way. All he offered me was a shrug, communicating, 'I don't know what you expect', before slipping quietly free from our hiding spot. I stumbled to my feet, my skirt catching on the bush. I bit my lip and tried to tug it, and whispered softly a foul word as I let go of my handfuls. Hot and cold.

"May I?" Stone said, bowing, surprising me. I nodded smugly, glad to see him making up for not comforting me as I turned away from my skirt. I was expecting to feel some tugging as he did his best to free me. I wasn't expecting him to draw a knife and slice through the back of my gown. He pulled it from me and let the bush have it before spinning me around and leading me through the forest in practically nothing. My under clothes were made from dainty white material, and left me more exposed than I'd ever been outside of my bathing chamber before.

"My dress-"

"Don't yell."

"How dare youuu-"

"Shush. It would only slow us down more in the long run."

"My. Dress."

"Princess." He grabbed me suddenly, pointing around me with his other hand, and I flinched at how warm his fingers were through my shift and against my arm. I had been touched many times before in my life by a man. Baileywick adjusting my skirts, Daddy hugging me, even noblemen who became handsy on the dance floor.

I felt real heat settle on my cheeks. I knew it wasn't him. Selfish brute. No. It was just being touched without layers of silk and velvet that made me feel embarrassed. Heated. Maybe it was the warm summer night?

I realized I was staring at his chin, and the scruff there, and I recovered by squinting my eyes and looking where his finger pointed to. A small structure made from sticks and twigs rested against a tall tree, housing three horses who stood quietly in the dark.

"What is that?" I asked, and he looked down at me incredulously. His hand dropped from my side, and leading with his shoulder, he pushed past me.

"The stable. Where horses are kept."

"I know what a stable is." I growled, following after him, wishing I still had my shoes. "What's your point? I can't drive a carriage."

His hand pressed to his forehead and smoothed down his face. "We.. we're not taking a carriage."

"Then what am I supposed to ride in?" I asked, scrunching my nose up at him in disdain. How simple could he be?

Stone didn't respond with more than a huff of agitation before turning. He began to hunch down as we skirted the tents on the far edge of the camp, and I copied him. I must have looked ridiculous. No shoes, no dress, sneaking around after a thief who still smelled like alcohol and dirt. For a second I feared he was leading me back into danger, because he paused once to look around, then sped away. I came to a stop behind a dark tent, trembling and alone.

What if this was a trap?

I took a deep breath to steady myself. Stone was a selfish ruffian. But he wouldn't let me die this way. Would he? No. I shook my head and fisted my hands, digging my nails into my palms, trying to keep my head clear by sheer force of will.

When he came around the corner, leading a plain brown mare by her reins, I clapped excitedly. He waved his hand at me angrily before looking over his shoulder to check that nobody had heard. As he got closer he motioned for me to come forward.

"Stop making noise." He hissed into my ear before grabbing my hips and flinging me up and into the horse's saddle.

"Oh!" I cried, landing on my stomach, my rump in the air as my hands scrambled to find something to pull myself up on. I ended up with a handful of mane, and the horse let out a loud whiny in protest.

"Hey! What was that?"

I froze, tilting up, looking past the black hair that hung in my face. Two men were right at the lean-to that served as the camp's stables, and now up on the saddle they had a clear vision of me. I couldn't have screamed even if I wanted to.

"Go! Go!" Stone shouted, now taking hold of my hips and situating me. He attempted to swing up behind me but fell back, right as the two men came running around the corner with their blades drawn.

"Get up, damn you!" He growled, smacking my backside.

"I'm trying!" I snapped, flustered by the contact. I managed to right myself and turned at the clang of metal against metal. Stone was moving easily through the two. Slashing at one while swinging his fist at the other. When their blades met the sound rang through the air, and I dreaded the possible arrival of more men. The whole fight looked sloppy and was different from the tournament battles I was used to watching. I tried to turn the horse around with a meek tug, but she wouldn't move, and finally I gave the reins a yank, and she snorted and spun the other way. Stone was waving his hand at me, his eyes catching mine every time he'd dodge or turn.

I took the waving as a sign and dug my heels in, finally getting the mare to move.

"I'll never forget your sacrifice, Stone!" I called over my shoulder, and he punched one of the men clear in the nose, the cracking sound sickening. He turned and began running after me.

"What? No! Wait for me!" He yelled. The second thief had doubled back through the tents to yell for more help. Stone caught up to me quickly and grabbed the reins before smoothly mounting behind me. His arms came around me and he flicked them, clenching his legs. The horse jolted under us and began to take off through the woods.

"You were going to leave me?" He asked angrily, his mouth close to my ear.

I gripped the saddle firmly with both hands and said confidently, "Of course! You were going to stay and fight so I could escape."

His forehead suddenly dropped onto my shoulder in exasperation and I shrugged him off with a hiss of disgust.

"Pay attention to where we're going!"

"You're trying to get me killed." He groaned. I settled back some, choosing not to answer. As long as I made it home alive, I told myself, it didn't really matter. I was trusting him to guide us through the darkness. He maneuvered us onto what felt more like a path, and we barreled through the trees, neither one of us pointing out that the sounds of movement through the forest behind us was growing.

* * *

Thank you to everyone who reads and reviews. =)


	10. Chapter 10

"Princess."

A warm hand touched my shoulder and gave me a gentle shake.

"Not yet, Baileywick." I purred, snuggling back into the pull of slumber. My legs were freezing, and I flicked my hand out against the draft blowing into my bedroom. "And close the window while you're here, will you?"

"Get up." He growled. And I tried to roll over, but something hard and coarse pressed against me. I opened my eyes slowly, my face turned in to dark fabric and the crease between an arm and a body. I tilted forward, blushing, causing an ache in my thighs to roll up my sides.

"Ooh, where are we?" I said, licking my dry lips, choosing not to address that I'd been curled up into Stone, wantonly dreaming about being secure at home in bed.

"We're stopping." He said, his voice low and hoarse. I could feel his chest rumbling against my back, and now that I was awake I realized he was sagging against me. I pushed against him with my elbow and sent him a pointed glare over my shoulder.

"Do you mind?" I hissed, adjusting again. My legs hurt terribly and I let out a soft whimper of discomfort as I tried to bend my knees up.

"Please stop moving." He growled, taking the reins and leading the mare to the side of the road. The road. We were on a road.

"When did we leave the forest?" I asked, looking up and down the well made path, then to my left where the tree line was just in sight.

"She can't go any further. We're on foot from here." He said, his breath warm against my neck. As the mare came to a stop he slowly dismounted, stumbling back and almost losing his footing. I snickered, wanting to throw out a taunt about the effects of drinking too much until I saw his face. Dark bags and a scruffy jaw revealed how exhausted he was. He held a hand up to me, and I flicked my fingers at him in dismissal. Looking down at the saddle, I took my time drawing one leg over until I was sitting side saddle. My thighs were twitching, and my back was stiff and tense.

"Can't the horse take us to where we're going?" I whined, scowling when he rubbed his forehead with a sigh.

"Unless you want her to drop dead out from under us, no. Get down."

I went to clutch my shift tightly beneath my knees as I started to slide down.

"Wait!" He cried, stepping forward and catching my waist before I hit the ground. I slid against his chest and grunted from the force.

"Haven't you ever dismounted-"

"I thought you were going to catch me." I hissed, stepping back to right my clothes. He let me go and pushed past me to check the mare. Removing the bridle and saddle, he took the blanket from her back and tossed it to me. Tapping her on her hind quarters she gave a gentle start before meandering off. He flung the saddle and the bridle into a cluster of bushes, and grabbed my hand, pulling me off the road and towards the trees again.

"I don't have any shoes on." I stated, dancing around plants and rocks on my toes. Now on my feet my legs hurt even worse, and I wanted to slump down and refuse to move, but the rising sun made me wary. Examining the last twinkle of the stars above, I could see that we'd drifted even more south. That meant Dunwitty was even farther away than before. Which meant home was out of my reach. It also meant we'd been traveling for some time, and since we were still on the move, the Baron's men must still be after us. I hissed and whimpered as I trekked barefoot. He didn't turn once to address me, and the frustration built up until I was huffing and mumbling behind him. It felt like centuries of walking before we broke through the trees and came upon a dilapidated shack. It was tiny and dark with glass-less windows and a caved in roof, caused by a massive tree that had fallen against its side. It was a wonder the thing was still standing.

"You're joking." I giggled, hysteria beginning to creep into my voice. At the sound he let go of my hand which caused me to stumble and step on a sharp, prickly plant. I gasped and lifted my foot refusing to move as I waved my hands and my lip began to tremble.

"Ow!" I wailed, awkwardly sinking down and holding my foot high, the ache in my thighs doubling. Tears were beginning to well, and I took one shuddering breath before allowing myself to cry. The sobs caused my shoulders to shake, and I refused to touch anything as I sat there and released all my pent up woes. It wasn't fair! I was practically killed, naked in the woods, cold, hungry, and so dirty! And my dress was gone, and-

"Princess." Came a tired response.

"No!" I yelled, flapping my hands even harder, air escaping me. "This is horrible! And it's all your fault!"

" _My_ fault?" He snapped, and the sound made me flinch. He let out a groan as my volume increased. When I heard him stomping back towards me, I opened my eyes and my sobs simmered down into hiccups. He looked dark and angry, standing over me with his hands clenched at his sides.

"I'll get up when I'm ready!" I screeched. He dropped to his knee and reached for me, and I instantly raised my hand and swatted at him. My palms bounced off his shoulder as he grabbed my injured foot and lifted it for inspection. The pain throbbed from my heel and as I jerked my foot away, instant relief came with it. I cradled my knee against my chest, realizing whatever had been in my foot was now pinched between his fingers.

"Better?" He asked calmly, and I sniffed and nodded dumbly. I intended to thank him, but instead just sat there, wishing he'd back up and give me space. I felt silly now. Sitting on the ground and crying. But he didn't let me wallow in pity as he held out a hand and pulled mine away from my knee. He helped me stand before lifting me carefully in his arms. He was silent, and we stumbled through the brush and into that disgustingly tiny shack.

He let my legs drop inside the door, and left me to lean against the rotting wood while he began to kick aside the brush that had crept in from the forest and grown into the space.

I sniffed and muttered, "I suppose I'll sleep over there?"

I pointed to the spot beneath the window, and a shadow of a smile was his response. He continued kicking until a hollow knock permeated the air.

"I would assume her highness would want to sleep in a bed?" He bent and wrapped his hand around something metal buried in the dirt, and as he pulled rusty hinges squeaked from disuse. There in the ground had been a hidden door, and now open, inky darkness is what met us below.

"Ladies first." He said, grinning.

I raised both eyebrows and silently shook my head. He shrugged with a cavalier grin and said, "Suit yourself."

Sitting on the edge of the hole, he left the door open and dropped down into the darkness.

I stood in the quiet, fighting with myself over what could be down there, unable to get past the idea of going underground. Warm light suddenly flooded the hole and I looked over my shoulder towards the forest. Already the sun was higher, and a pale light was touching the trees. Stone was too tired to go on. And I was too scared to go alone. A reasonably sounding voice in my head reminded me that he could still get me out of this mess. Looking towards the light I saw his hand held up, beckoning towards me.

I scowled and stomped towards the hole.

"Don't look up my dress." I warned, swinging my legs in and looking down at him.

"Wouldn't dream of it, Princess." He assured me with a smile. I scooted forward primly before dropping down next to him, our hands firmly clasped.


	11. Chapter 11

The small trap door led us into a narrow tunnel made from packed dirt and held up with wooden beams, now lit by a single torch that Stone held out. The tunnel was longer than I'd expected, and my thighs protested and became stiff as the path began to slope down and the chill in the air increased. I brought my arms over my chest, flattening my palms against my breasts to hide how cold I'd become. All banter was suspended as I tried to focus on the grains of dirt shifting underneath my feet. I was glad that Stone marched ahead because I wasn't accustomed to going underground and would have been useless. The longer we walked the further down we seemed to go and the tighter the knot in my stomach pulled.

Sofia used to talk endlessly about the caves beneath the castle and the friendly trolls who occupied them. She'd talk about shining, sapphire rock walls with dazzling crystals that lit the tunnels and pathways with a magical light.  
But this was dirt. Wet and cold and held up by old wood and a prayer. I couldn't even get pretty troll caves, could I?

My teeth chattered as we bent low to avoid a protruding root, then stepped out of the tunnel. I exhaled with glee.

"Oh, I've never been so happy to be wrong!" I shivered out, dancing on my toes as my nerves unwound. I had been expecting a small den, enough for us to stretch out in before the torch snuffed out and the dirt caved in, and I was buried alive in my sleep. But, to the minimum of my satisfaction, the space was massive and stretched high above us, supported by more well laid wooden beams and tangles of roots. At the far back was a small dock that stood over dark water that channeled out of a small opening in the wall. As Stone shuffled slowly across the cavern, the darkness was gone, swept away as he lighted another handful of old torches left in their sconces.

"What is this?" I asked, approaching a small alcove where wooden boards had been laid out to serve as a floor. An old wooden bed, stuffed with straw, rested next to a battered set of drawers and a metal trunk, whose condition contrasted vastly with the rest of the furniture. Now able to see I turned and noticed Stone shuffling towards me. He stopped long enough to open the trunk and pull out a dirty fur blanket that he pulled around me, his hands lingering on the edges. I clung to the blanket, lifting my chin to look him in the eye. I could see him swaying gently on his feet. His lips were pressed tightly together, like he was summoning up the energy to say something.

I felt a my cheeks grow warm, and I arched a brow, forcing my expression to hide the tension boiling under my skin.

"Is there only the one bed?" I asked, my tone too breathy. I cleared my throat to get rid of the sound. "Such a pity that you'll have to sleep on the floor."

I could see the spark from my comment landed, and he scoffed loudly.

"Guess you'll be disappointed to hear I have no intention of sleeping on the floor."

Before I could voice my protest, he turned and grabbed another blanket before falling face first onto the old mattress. Dust rose in clouds around him, and I declared my outrage with a soft stamp of my foot.

"How dare you! I cannot possibly sleep on that!" I cried. Marching forward with no idea of my intent, I pushed him over roughly. He simply took his blanket with him, and his breathing deepened until only a soft snore could be heard.

"You look like a drunk old bear." I sneered, glaring at his shapeless, furry form, his boots just barely hanging off the edge. I was tired and sore, but the idea of climbing into bed with him, even if it was only to sleep, seemed daunting and too personal. I tried to force myself to forget that we'd held one another so close on the horse as I explored the cave.

Along the dock were more metal trunks and I trailed my fingers across the lid of one as I looked slowly over towards the bed. The mound of blanket that was Stone shifted slightly, then stilled. Smiling to myself impishly, I lifted the lid and bent to examine the contents. Tucked inside was a collection of sterling silver goblets, plates, bowls and utensils. Moving on to the next, I found crystal champagne glasses, wrapped in tissue and tucked down evenly inside. There were enough there to set a table of one hundred with. Unwrapping one, I licked my finger and ran it along the edge, successfully creating a somber ringing that bounced from the cave walls.

I returned it, pleased with its quality.

The third trunk was filled with neatly stacked damask linens. "Ooh!" I exclaimed delightedly on a breath, finding no fault with the curling design and the touch of the fabric against my fingers. I made a mental note to comment on the caliber of these goods to Stone. The quality was impeccable. I decided then that upon returning home I'd allow Daddy to purchase new settings to go along with my 'Welcome Home' feast.

I held the trunk lid with one hand, and lifted the shimmering gold cloth to admire it with the other. Pressed between the folds was a dark red stain. I smiled, wondering at the moment Stone must have taken this particular cloth. Obviously this all was stolen. Perhaps he'd barged in on a gentleman during dinner, spooking him and he'd spilled his wine in his hurry to stand and shout his outrage. For a moment I was lost in imagining Stone stealing the meal literally out from under him, everything wrapped up in the table cloth and thrown over his shoulder like a sack, a tapered candle still lit and dripping wax along his path-

Until I ran my fingers across the stain.

I dropped the linen and slammed the trunk, my fingers trembling as I slid the latch shut. My blanket fell as I stood, and I stared impossibly hard at that metal box. Looking down at my hand, I saw the same dark red staining my fingers and palm, crusted over a thin line, so expertly cut from the Baron's razor sharp blade.

The color matched almost perfectly to the one tucked within the linens. A shiver ran up my spine, and I tucked my hand gently against my side. I didn't return to delving through trunks, or to the area Stone slumbered in. Instead I curled up with my blanket against the wall, my body tense.

I was kept awake by the steady sound of my heartbeat in my ears, and the consuming uncertainty I seemed to be bound to.


	12. Chapter 12

**A sincere thank you to anyone still reading this, and to everyone who has reviewed. :)**

* * *

I rolled over, and something scratchy and unyielding pressed against my nose.

If I didn't open my eyes, then I was still home. If I could just wrap my fingers around the dream I'd been having, perhaps I could stay in it forever. Only a handful of days had passed and already I was dreadfully home sick. Home where it was safe and clean. My family was there. Were they waiting for me? Did they even realize I was gone? Had she taken my place yet?

Clenching my fist into the rough material, I rested my cheek on the back of my hand and let out a deliberately slow breath, trying to delay the tears. Then I heard a breathy chuckle in return. I couldn't stop the irritation from showing if I wanted to, all my sadness now displaced.

"Afternoon." Stone grumbled, nearby. I tensed. I knew for a fact that I had not left my place on the ground to crawl into this flea ridden bed. Impossible. Even exhausted Amber had the good sense to remain on the floor. I had just shut my eyes for a moment, refusing to sleep, only to rest. Now I was afraid to open them.

"If you're in this bed with me..." I mumbled, the warning dripping from my tone.

"Well, I'd be warmer, at least."

I groaned, pulling my legs up, trying to curl into a little ball while still refusing to open my eyes.

"Princess?" He asked again, and when I didn't respond, he laughed once more at me. I heard his boots scraping against the wooden boards as he stood from the floor. There was a great deal of groaning and shuffling, then the disturbing sound of bones popping and leather stretching.

I opened my eyes then, watching him hold his arms high as he stretched and made crude sounds to go with it. I traced the outline of his shoulders and waist through his tunic, and I noticed the tight clench of this thighs before I huffed and turned my eyes away. I swiftly shut down that dangerous thought before I gave it any more power.

"Are you quite finished?" I growled, sitting up, able to feel the bed slats, and my body ached anew from it. His expression was a mixture of discomfort and euphoria as he held his arms high and his back gave a final pop. His arms fell limply to his sides as he moaned.

"Ohh yeah." He said happily, scratching at the stubble on his chin as he looked down at me. "Sleep well?"

I turned my attention to the fur blankets covering my legs, realizing that I'd somehow come into possession of both mine and his.

"Dreadfully." I said softly, resting my head against my palm. "This bed.. lacks any comfort. It's beastly."

He shrugged indifferently then paced away from me, heading towards the collection of metal trunks along the docks. My heart gave a painful twang and I watched him, eyes wide, as he trotted past the ones I'd dug through to the ones on the opposite end of the room.

"Well, no use dwelling on it." Stone dropped to his knee and began to open one, and I felt panic surge in my chest.

"What are you doing?" I barked, causing him to flinch and look at me. His hands kept moving, and as the lid flung open I threw the blankets off and got to my feet. I didn't have a plan of action, but I felt like fleeing back through the tunnel and away from whatever he kept concealed in that trunk.

He froze then, watching me intently, his hands clenching into fists. His voice sounded hoarse as he said, "Amber-"

"Well?" I snapped, crossing my arms, displeased with his frank use of my name. I startled when I felt my arms wrap around bare flesh, and I let out a mortified scream as I looked down. My shift was pulled down, the left half of my chest exposed, and I turned with a scream away from him. I stamped my foot in outrage.

"You pervert!" I cried, glaring over my shoulder before rushing to the bed to sweep off the blankets to cover myself. My face felt hot, and I could feel the blush practically spread to my toes. What unnerved me the most was that he hadn't even uttered a word until he'd gotten his fill. Had he pulled my shift down when he'd brought me to bed? Oh Maker, had it just shifted on its own?

"How dare you!" I rounded again, and now he was standing, an article of clothing clenched in his hand, his other nervously running through his long hair.

"I know."

"You looked!" I shouted, and he shrugged, a small smile on his lips.

"You can't really blame me for that."

"Oh, but I can!" I railed, gesturing wildly with my free hand. "You're a disrespectful lout! You've been touching me and speaking to me more intimately than is appropriate, and I've had enough."

"Ahh yes, what a right bastard I am for acknowledging your beauty, especially with one tit out." Stone said, laughing at me as I floundered for words. My skin felt so hot from his vulgarity that I thought I was going to explode, and fire and wrath would rain down from above. Before I could speak he stalked forward, and I held the blanket to my body as tightly as I could.

His eyes looked so dark and intense as he loomed over me. With an iron grip he pried one of my hands away from my chest, and fear spiked up my spine. He was going to disrobe me.

But before I could lash out or even scream, he stuffed the clothing into my elbow then allowed my arm to snap back against me.

"If I wanted to have you, what makes you think I wouldn't have already? I could have done it back at camp." He ground out, becoming still as he watched the anger fill my expression.

"You won't touch me." I hissed forcefully, and he nodded in agreement, catching me by surprise.

"Aye. I won't. So don't paint me out to be some... some monster." The anger had vanished from his voice, just like that. He gave me a last considering look before turning away. He disappeared into the entrance of the tunnel in the same instance that I turned and fled back towards the bed, clutching the dress and the blankets as tightly as I could.

I dressed in the silence, my lips pressed so tightly together my cheeks were beginning to ache. The gown was peach in color, and made from soft material that had no shimmer or style to it. I tugged it on hurriedly over my shift and grimaced at how it hung so loosely around me. And it clashed terribly with my skin. As I lifted my hands to gather my hair from my shoulder I grimaced at the feel.

Slithery and jet black, it stood out even worse against the dress, making me look pale and sickly. I could only assume. Without a proper mirror I was just going to have to trust my expert opinion that in the ways of looks, I was failing drastically.

Eyeing the trunk Stone had pulled the garment from, I only hesitated a moment before rushing to it. If there was blood, I would slam the trunk and wear the peach atrocity without a second thought. But if there was something pretty... Well, I deserved it.

I flipped the latch and took a deep breath before throwing it open... and groaned. What a mess.

There was a collection of women's clothing that ranged from garters to skirts and corsets. I pinched article after article with two fingers, the air punctuated with my occasional groan of disgust, and moved them all aside and reassured myself with glances down at my peach clad arms that this was worth it. This **was** worth it. My hand fell on something garnet and trimmed in white. I yanked it free along with a sage bodice and whooped with joy as I shed the peach and pulled on the new gown. It was tight, even on my slim form, and I loosened the ties on my sides allowing a portion of my shift to peek through. I bid my chest to obey my bidding as I secured the bodice and adjusted myself with my hands. From my angle I appeared lopsided, and I looked up and around sheepishly to make sure I was still alone.

How I yearned for my maid. I hated doing this, and it caused my shoulders to ache as I tried to tighten my work. Huffing in irritation I stormed to the trunk holding the silver plates and yanked one free. I held it high and examined myself as best I could.

As expected, the wretched black hair made me look pale and... common. I looked common. I stifled a loud gasp and crushed the plate to my chest. The denial built so quickly I didn't even know how to deal with it. My lip trembled, and I let it clank loudly back into its trunk. Then in a blink I grabbed plate after plate and hurled them off the dock and into the small body of water. Wretched black hair. Black hair that didn't belong on my head! My hair was golden, and curling, and delicate, and perfect! I threw the last plate and watched them pile at the bottom, shining pleasantly from the torchlight.

I closed my eyes and touched my fingers to my forehead in despair. I felt heavier than I ever had before. Changing clothes and throwing things hadn't fixed anything. I yearned for home, baths, stars and the familiarity of the servants and royalty who flitted in and out of my life constantly. I wanted James and mother and father. Right now I'd give anything for Sofia to be here. She always had the answer. But why, just this once, couldn't it come to me? Where was my unending optimism and plan of attack?

Wanting to sink into myself and wallow, I began sniffling, trying to hold back tears when I heard a low whistle.

Looking up I saw Stone, holding a cloth bundle in one hand, and two eggs in the other. He was covered in feathers and his trousers sported grass stains.

"Roll around with a goat?" I sneered, feeling brave now that I was dressed.

"I don't suppose eating will make you any less of a shrew?" He asked brazenly.

I 'hmphed' and rolled my eyes, lowering my hands till they crossed my chest, my slender fingers toying with the seam lines at my shoulder. Once again, we were back to being hot.

"It would only help if it made you less of an imbecile."

He chuckled and moved to the fire pit to set down his gatherings as I pretended to ignore him and brushed that horrid black hair off my shoulders.


	13. Chapter 13

"So." Stone said, not looking up from where he scrambled eggs in a heavy, blackened pan. "You going to tell me what spooked you earlier?"

I looked up from the trunk of clothes I was rifling through once more. I held two different colored, wool stockings and I was trying dearly to find a match to either. A hundred thoughts raced through my mind as I tried to settle on what to say. Could I just ask him? He was so frank with me. Would it be dangerous to do so? What if he'd killed someone... killed them and robbed their home?

I looked down at the dress I was wearing and shuddered. What if everything here had once been part of a great home that he'd taken out of sheer greed.

I watched him silently for several breaths, examined his figure against the firelight, so broad and strong. A man. A thief. One of the Baron's drudge. Incorrigible, greedy, lecherous. Witty, handsome. My savior. Hadn't I always wanted someone to swoop in, save me, and steal my heart? I wrinkled my pretty nose. I hadn't meant a literal thief. But he wasn't a villain. He wasn't a hero. Perhaps, like I was prone to do, he straddled the line. Self preservation versus altruism. The thought was beginning to make my head hurt. My thoughts of him shouldn't be this complicated.

"Would you lie if you didn't like the question?" I responded stiffly, bending back down to finish my search.

"Probably. You should ask it anyway. It must be a doozy." He encouraged, sounding playful.

I pressed on with a steady breath, "I was exploring-"

"Snooping."

"Exploring!" I insisted, furrowing my brow and staring hard at his back.

"And I found the trunk with the linens. That one..." I pointed, even though he didn't turn to regard me. "It's all stained with blood. Did you..?"

I couldn't bring myself to finish the sentence. He didn't even twitch. Merely let out a low whistle as he pulled the pan off the fire. He spooned the eggs onto silver plates and handed me one.

"So that's why you don't want me to see you naked."

I blushed and my mouth hung open before beginning to move. I stumbled over words and incoherent sounds until Stone laughed and had pity on me.

"Princess, I'm only joking with you." He rubbed his forehead, caught between amusement and irritation.

"That needs to stop." I insisted, finally managing to wrangle my tongue. "I can't have you ruining my reputation."

He gave me a thoughtful look before nodding in agreement, "Aye. I'll do my best."

"Thank you." I took a deep breath, relieved. "And the linen?..."

"Did I kill someone over a tablecloth?" Stone asked, smiling bitterly at me. I nodded slowly and he shook his head 'no'. I let out such a loud sigh of relief that he chuckled at my dramatics, an edge to the sound.

"Then, what happened?" I pressed, picking distastefully at my food. Wild mushrooms in eggs was not my usual breakfast fare. I wondered for a moment what cook would be serving today. Knowing my luck it was sweet and flaky, and James was probably gobbling up my portion.

"It was over something else."

I lifted my gaze to him slowly, a tingling feeling beginning to creep up my spine. He was looking away from me, at something else. But instead of seeing anything malicious or dark in his eyes I saw only remorse. While the fear didn't abate, it didn't grow either. He shrugged out of his daze and I was grateful that I didn't have to offer him any comfort. That was certainly not my area of expertise.

What could I even say? Should I express my condolences? My pity? My fear, my disgust? Nothing? I watched him rise, his plate left on the ground. He looked close to losing it himself. I suddenly realized the situation we'd gotten ourselves into. The situation _I'd_ gotten us into. When I'd first tried to persuade him into setting me free, he'd turned me down flat, stating he liked his head where it was at. Having helped me escape from the Baron, he was in just as much danger as I. But he'd been so scared of the Baron's reaction, I couldn't fathom what had changed his mind.

"We need a plan." I said suddenly, causing both of us to lock gazes.

"Oh?" He said softly, coming back to where I was sitting. He knelt down and gave me a humoring look. "Besides holing up in here until we're old and gray, what do you suggest?"

"I'll never be old and gray, first off." I snapped with a scowl, "And second, you need to get me back to the castle, of course."

He pressed his hand to his face, dragging it down before gripping his chin and shaking his head in disagreement.

"There's no way I'm going to that castle." He said, suddenly starting to chuckle. "No way, am I risking anymore vital parts of me, to save YOU."

Stone rose and began to march determinedly away from me. He stopped at the dresser by the bed and pulled out a bag. He began taking things from drawers and stuffing them into it. I rushed to my feet, lifting my skirts to follow him.

"What are you doing?" I demanded, watching him.

"Sending you off. We're even."

"What? But _you_ have to take me. My family could be in danger!" I insisted, pushing myself between him and where the bag rested on the bed.

"Don't care." He growled, crossing his arms. "You're alive, aren't you? My conscious is clear."

I sneered. "What conscious?"

He reached past me to continue packing, and as I raised my hand to intercept him he easily dodged my touch.

"Stone." I said breathlessly. He stilled and his eyes darkened as I tilted my face up. I had been about to beg. About to utter a soft plea for his help, for him to get me home, keep me safe. But the gentle tone seemed crushed within me. If I begged now, and he refused, it would.. it would... I don't know. I shook my head, but his gaze didn't falter.

"I can pay you." I said instead and a look of annoyance took hold of his expression.

"There's not enough gold-"

"More than gold." I said, holding up my hands, ready to grab him should he move from the small space we occupied. He arched a brow at me, suppressing a hot smile that made me blush. I hardened my features and gave him a warning wag of my finger.

"In your dreams. But I can give you jewels. Property. Land-" I started, but he held up a hand, a certain twinkle of inspiration lightening his expression. His grin spread, showing off how white his teeth were and how they stood out marvelously against his dark skin.

"A title."

I arched a brow, hesitant. "You want... a title? What, like a lord or count?"

His grin was so predatory that I felt like I must be a giggling morsel, covered in chocolate.

"Nothing so trivial. I want to be... a Duke."

"And what would you know about holding titles?" I responded, amused by his provincial request. Every peasant wanted to be royalty, but seldom knew the work that went into it.

"Enough." He said with a relaxed shrug. I rolled my eyes while making a skeptical little, 'Uh-huh'. His eyes narrowed.

"A duke, Princess. With all the bells and whistles." He insisted.

I pressed my fingertips to my lips, suddenly fighting the surge of unease his statement passed through me. A lord or a baron, even a count was doable. But a dukedom? How would I ever talk daddy into that? Wouldn't some rearranging need to take place? A thought came to me, and I tapped my chin, looking pensive as he watched me with hawk-like focus. If I played my cards right, I could get home, hand him some abhorrent, backwater wasteland to play aristocrat in, and get on with my life. There had to be some scrap of land I wasn't thinking of. Daddy would know. And it would serve him right for not taking me straight home when he had the chance!

I forced myself to smile, showing my pretty straight teeth before I nodded. Stone didn't take the gesture as confirmation and struck out a hand, calmly watching me.

"A deal?" He insisted. I slowly pressed my hand into his, allowing my inner voice to sigh at how rough and large his hands were.

"A deal. Get me home as soon as possible, and I'll even throw in your own tiara." I purred, failing to ignore the heat that flowed through my limbs when he laughed happily. He enclosed my fingers in his and gave them a hearty shake, his whole body mocking me with its intensity. Releasing me, he continued throwing things into his bag, only this time he grabbed a pair of boots and handed them to me to slip on.

"We're leaving now?" I whined, surprised. He nodded and watched me pull the boots on up over my stocking clad legs. I was nervous that they were too big, glad when the woolen garments filled the space. He looked away before I could figure out his expression.

"Aye, Princess. No better time to run through a forest full of men looking to kill you than when it's dark."

My mouth hung open in surprise before I squeaked out, "Is that supposed to be funny? Because I am not laughing."

He shrugged and went to finish our preparations.

Looking at him slyly through the curtain of my dank hair, I laced my boots in silence. How I was going to spin this man as a Duke out to daddy was still a mystery, but excessive tears had always been my ally. Then I wrinkled my nose in distaste.

Duke Stone. Charming thief. Rescuer of Princess Amber of Enchancia. The newest, permanent stain at court. Ugh, the humiliation he was sure to bring. Prancing around ballrooms, stuffing pecan tarts and champagne down his gullet, flirting with royalty. My friends. _I'll kill him._ I bit my lip and quickly lured that particular thought into a hole. None of that. He could flirt with whomever he wanted.

When Stone finished he put out the fire pit and all but one of the torches. As he approached me, he lifted a hand out to touch my shoulder, but at the last minute dropped it back down to his side.

"Let's get going." He said, sounding bothered. I hurried after him quietly and away from the darkness, letting him climb further ahead of me to light the way. It was a long cold walk, and it provided plenty of time to dwell on whether or not a Duke I could make of him, and that maybe Clio would be more suitable for him than for my brother.


End file.
